The artistic director of the ‘Concert Spirituel’ from 1752 to 1762, Mondonville was one of the most fashionable composers in Paris due to his ‘grands motets’. However, it was in the field of chamber music that he was a real innovator. In creating the sonata for harpsichord with violin accompaniment, he paved the way for a form soon to be raised to sublime heights by Mozart and Beethoven. By giving the harpsichord accompaniment to the human voice Mondonville carried the experiments to its utmost limits.

Subtitled ‘Camerata Obscura’, this is harmonia mundi’s first collection aimed at exploring the connection between photography and music. In collaboration with the National School of Photography in Arles, a foursome of young artists was invited to take a fresh look at several key works of the Baroque repertoire which are being reissued for this occasion.