Agnès Mellon


Agnès Mellon is a French soprano who specializes in baroque music.
WWW agnesmellon.com

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 and the Collegium Vocale Gent, 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. 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

These recordings were all published by Harmonia Mundi France.

With La Chapelle Royale

These recordings were all published by Harmonia Mundi France.

With Ricercar Consort

  • 1988 : Deutsche Barock Kantaten
  • 1989 : Deutsche Barock Kantaten
  • 1989 : Motets à deux voix, Henri Dumont
These recordings were all published by Ricercar.

With Collegium Vocale Gent

These recordings were all published by Virgin Classics.

With Barcarole, founded and directed by Agnès Mellon

Recordings

Opera roles

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