Ha! compagnons takes the listener back to a time when the voice and the lute were the true companions in the quest for poetic and musical expression. In exploring this fruitful partnership, Canadian soprano Elodie Bouchard and American lutenist Anthony Harvey offer vivid and colourful interpretations of air de cour, ayres and monodies by 17th-century composers Giulio Caccini, Thomas Campion, Sigismondo d’India, Claudio Monteverdi and Etienne Moulinié.

This project introduces the listener to the pivotal period between Renaissance and Baroque when composers united in the desire for clarity of sung lyrics. Voice and lute then became an essential duo whose intimate character perfectly matched the needs at the different courts throughout Europe. This symbiosis can be heard in the air de cour and ayres of France and England, whereas in Italy it is rather the genre of accompanied monody which prevailed over the national soundscape and later lead to the development of the first operas.

The pieces on the album share the timeless theme of love in all of its different shades, rounded up by the ultimate drinking song that lends its title to the project: “For us, Ha! compagnons illustrates not only the historical camaraderie of voice and lute, but also the collaborative aspect of many companions making this release possible” explains Elodie Bouchard.

Passionate about early music, soprano Elodie Bouchard stands out for her musical expressivity and the diversity in colours of her voice. She performs regularly with the baroque ensemble Les Méandres and the Scholastica Ensemble with whom she participated in the recording Saints inouïs recently released on Atma Classique. She was featured at the opening concert of the Montreal Bach Festival in 2018, as well as at the Montréal Baroque Festival and the Young Performers Festival of Early Music America in 2019.

Since 2018, she has partnered with the exceptional lutenist and continuo player Anthony Harvey who performs both, as a soloist and accompanist with many of North America’s leading ensembles such as the National Philharmonic, the Wolf Trap Opera Company, the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra and the Washington Bach Consort. Together, Bouchard and Harvey aim to bring music for voice and lute to the forefront of the music world. In each performance, the young artists combine their vast expertise in historical performance practice with their evocative musical intuition.

This album will be issued in numbered single copies. Thus, each copy meets a special quality standard.