Guillemette Laurens (born 6 November 1957 in

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

, France) is a French operatic

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

. Guillemette trained at the Academy of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

and debuted as Baba in ''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings ''A Rake's Progres ...

'' at

Salle Favart The Salle Favart, officially the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique, is a Paris opera house and theatre, the current home of the Opéra-Comique. It was built from 1893 to 1898 in a neo-Baroque style to the designs of the French architect Louis Bernie ...

. She took part in the premiere recording of

Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...

's '' Atys'' conducted by William Christie. She is a highly respected singer of

Baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transiti ...

, both as a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

and a mezzo-soprano. She has made notable recordings of

Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...

operas.

Selecting Recordings

Jean-Féry Rebel Jean-Féry Rebel (18 April 1666 – 2 January 1747) was an innovative French Baroque composer and violinist. Biography Rebel, a child violin prodigy, was the most famous offspring of Jean Rebel, a tenor in Louis XIV's private chapel. He lat ...

'': Ulysse''. Les Solistes du Marais: Guillemette Laurens, Stéphanie Révidat, Bertrand Chuberre,

Bernard Deletré Bernard Deletré is a French operatic bass- baritone . Life After studying flute and singing in the North of France, followed by a first prize in singing at the Conservatoire de Paris, Deletré performed with the Groupe Vocal de France before ...

, Céline Ricci, Eugénie Warnier, Vincent Lièvre-Picard, Thomas van Essen, Le Chœur du Marais,

La Simphonie du Marais La Simphonie du Marais is a French music ensemble established in 1987 by recorder player Hugo Reyne. Today, it is located in the Logis de la Chabotterie of Saint-Sulpice-le-Verdon in Vendée. It performs exclusively vocal and instrumental Baroq ...

, conducted by

Hugo Reyne Hugo Reyne (born in 1961) is a contemporary French recorder player, oboist and conductor. He is the founder and music director of La Simphonie du Marais. Biography Born in Paris, Hugo Reyne began learning the flute and oboe at a very young a ...

. Recorded 9–10 July 2007. aint-Sulpice-le-Verdon, Vendée Conseil Général de la Vendée, Ⓟ 2007. Musiques à la Chabotterie 605003 *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

, ''

Oratorio de Noël The ''Oratorio de Noël'', Op. 12, by Camille Saint-Saëns, also known as his Christmas Oratorio, is a cantata-like work scored for soloists, chorus, organ, strings and harp. While an organist at La Madeleine, Saint-Saëns wrote the Christmas ...

'', Marie Paule Dotti, soprano, Guillemette Laurens, mezzo-soprano, Luca Lombardo, ténor, Nicolas Testé, basse,

Francesco Cera Francesco Cera (born in Bologna, Italy) is an Italian harpsichordist, organist and conductor. Accomplished performer of Italian Baroque harpsichord and organ repertoire, he was a student of Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam (1989–90), then in 1991 be ...

, orgue, Coro della Radio Swizzera, Lugano, Orchestra della Swizzera Italiana, dir.

Diego Fasolis Diego Fasolis (born 19 April 1958) is a Swiss classical organist and conductor, the leader of the ensemble I Barocchisti. He has conducted operas in historically informed performance at major European opera houses and festivals, and has made award- ...

. CD Chandos 2004

External links

* People from Fontainebleau 1957 births Living people French operatic mezzo-sopranos French women singers {{France-opera-singer-stub