While in Italy the Renaissance saw the burgeoning of the madrigal, the chanson was making its appearance in France. The Ensemble Aedes has created a programme dedicated to these two forms of sacred and secular music so typical of the period, whilst mingling them with contemporary music.

Servin and Janequin’s colourful narratives complement the harmonic audacity of Monteverdi and Gesualdo. In a veritable meeting of great minds, Berio looks to the chansons of the French Renaissance for inspiration, while Fénelon draws on Monteverdi’s influence for his madrigals. This journey between different cultures and ages in the company of Mathieu Romano and his choir is interspersed with reading in French and works for solo theorbo in a series of poetical impromptus where the sound of a electric guitar can sometimes be heard.