A Nocte Temporis - Oh, ma belle brunette - Gramophone

Easy songs, simple sentiments simply sung by an easy voice. But what a voice! I’m deeply impressed with Reinoud Van Mechelen, so clearly a protégé of Le Jardin des Voix’s powerhouse for young singers. If you haven’t heard his smoothly charming haute-contrethen do make this album your starting point. He has a shimmering grace in the high register that sits somewhere between tenor Mark Padmore and countertenor Gérard Lesne, topped off by an intimate and sensual diction that makes these songs sparkle. He’s also particularly good at half-whispered asides, such as the third stanza of the opening ‘Où êtes-vous allé, mes belles amourettes’. A Nocte Temporis are sensitive accompanists.