Agnès Mellon

Agnès Mellon (born 17 January 1958) is a French soprano who specializes in baroque music.

Biography Agnès Mellon started her career in 1981 with the baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants, directed by William Christie, with whom, between 1981 and 1993, she interpreted Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Monteverdi, Luigi Rossi, Michel Lambert, Henry Purcell, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, Jean-Philippe Rameau and others. During the 1980s, she was one of the ensemble's regular singers, together with Guillemette Laurens, Jill Feldman, Dominique Visse, Étienne Lestringant, Michel Laplénie, Philippe Cantor, Gregory Reinhart, and François Fauché.

Starting in 1985, Mellon also worked under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe, with La Chapelle Royale (1985–1990) and the Collegium Vocale Gent (1990–1996), interpreting Charpentier, Heinrich Schütz, Monteverdi, Jean Gilles, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

At the end of the 1980s, she worked regularly with the Belgian ensemble Ricercar Consort, under the artistic direction of the Belgian musicologist . She also worked with various conductors, including Dominique Visse, René Jacobs, Marc Minkowski, John Eliot Gardiner, Christophe Rousset, and Gérard Lesne.

Beginning in the 1990s, she dedicated herself to teaching. She also participates in master classes in (Paris, Montreal, and Kyoto). In 1992, she gave an exceptional interpretation of Henry Purcell's songs, traditionally interpreted only by countertenors such as Alfred Deller and James Bowman. In 1997, she founded her own baroque ensemble, Barcarole, whose first recording was released in 2005.

Mellon is married to French countertenor and conductor Dominique Visse. Recordings Mellon has made many recordings, most of them in the field of baroque music.

With Les Arts Florissants 1981 : Pastorale sur la Naissance de N.S. Jésus-Christ H.483, In Nativitatem D.N.J.C. Canticum H.414, Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1981 : Altri Canti, Claudio Monteverdi 1982 : Antienne "O" de l'Avent H.37- 43, Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1982 : Les Arts Florissants H.487, Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1982 : Actéon H.481, Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1982 : Oratorios (Il pecator pentito, O Cecità del misero mortale), Luigi Rossi 1983 : Un Oratorio de Noël "In nativitatem Domini canticum" H.416, Sur la Naissance de N.S. Jésus-Christ H.482, Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1983 : Il Ballo delle Ingrate, Claudio Monteverdi 1984 : Airs de Cour, Michel Lambert 1984 : Médée H.491, Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1985 : Le Reniement de Saint Pierre H.424, Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1986 : Dido and Aeneas, Henry Purcell 1987 : Atys, Jean-Baptiste Lully 1988 : La Mort de Didon, Michel Pignolet de Monteclair 1989 : Oratorio per la Settimana Santa, Luigi Rossi 1991 : Orfeo, Luigi Rossi 1993 : Castor et Pollux, Jean-Philippe Rameau These recordings were all published by Harmonia Mundi France.

With La Chapelle Royale 1985 : "Motet Pour l'Offertoire de la Messe Rouge" H.434, "Oculi omnium" H.346, "Pour la seconde fois que le Saint Sacrement vient au même reposoir" H.372 and Miserere H.219, Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1987 : Musikalische Exequien, Heinrich Schütz 1987 : Vespro della Beata Vergina, Claudio Monteverdi (Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale, Saqueboutiers, Toulouse) 1990 : Requiem, Jean Gilles 1990 : Magnificat BWV 243, Johann Sebastian Bach These recordings were all published by Harmonia Mundi France.

With Ricercar Consort 1988 : Deutsche Barock Kantaten (III) (Schein, Tunder, Buxtehude) 1989 : Deutsche Barock Kantaten (V) (Hammerschmidt, Selle Johann Hermann Schein, Heinrich Schütz, Franz Tunder, Weckmann, Lübeck) 1989 : Motets à deux voix, Henri Dumont These recordings were all published by Ricercar.

With Collegium Vocale Gent 1990 : Missae, BWV 234 & 235, Sanctus, BWV 238, Johann Sebastian Bach 1991 : Missae, BWV 233 & 236, Johann Sebastian Bach 1993 : Kantaten, BWV 39, 93 & 107, Johann Sebastian Bach 1996 : Geistliche Chormusik, Heinrich Schütz

These recordings were all published by Virgin Classics.

With Barcarole, founded and directed by Agnès Mellon 2005 : Les Déesses outragées, cantatas of Louis-Nicolas Clérambault, Philippe Courbois and François Colin de Blamont 2011 : Parole e querele d'amore

Recordings

1987: Marc-Antoine Charpentier: "Vêpres Solennelles" H.540, H.190, H.50, H.149, H.52, H.150, H.51, H.161, H.191, H.65, H.77, John Elwes, Ian Honeyman, tenors, Agnès Mellon, Brigitte Bellamy, sopranos, Dominique Visse, Jean Nirouet, countertenors, Philippe Cantor, Jacques Bona, baritones, Choeur régional- Nord Pas de Calais, La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy, Odile Bailleux, organ, conducted by Jean-Claude Malgoire (2 CD CBS Sony 1987) 1987 : Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz by Heinrich Schütz, Ensemble Clément Janequin (dir. Dominique Visse), Saqueboutiers, Toulouse 1987 : Duos et Cantates, Giacomo Carissimi, Concerto Vocale, dir. René Jacobs 1988 : Les Comédies-Ballets, Lully-Molière, Les Musiciens du Louvre, dir. Marc Minkowski 1988 : Scylla et Glaucus, Jean-Marie Leclair, Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, dir. John Eliot Gardiner 1992 : Songs from Orpheus Britannicus, Henry Purcell, interpreted by Agnès Mellon, Christophe Rousset and Wieland Kuijken 1993 : Cantiques Spirituels de Jean Racine, Pascal Colasse, Les Talens Lyriques, dir. Christophe Rousset 1993 : Motets à une ou deux voix, Daniel Danielis, Les Talens Lyriques, dir. Christophe Rousset 1993 : Leçons de Ténèbres, Office du Vendredi Saint H.105, H.95, H.140, H.133, H.130, H.99, H.100, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Il Seminario Musicale, dir. Gérard Lesne 2003 : Maria, Madre de Dio (Handel, Ferrandini, Scarlatti), ensemble Arion, dir. Monica Huggett 1997 : Chabrier mélodies (with Franck Leguérinel); Françoise Tillard (piano) - Timpani

Opera roles Agnès Mellon has played several opera roles, all of them in the field of baroque music: Actéon, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Diane) Médée, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Créuse) Atys, Jean-Baptiste Lully (Sangaride) Orfeo, Luigi Rossi (Orfeo) Castor et Pollux, Jean-Philippe Rameau (Télaïre) Scylla et Glaucus, Jean-Marie Leclair (Vénus)