From Colette to Sacha Guitry, the greatest writers of the twentieth century reveal themselves through the incomparable emotion of their own voices. Distinctive timbres, meaningful silences, and the breath of history-the box set La Voix Des Auteurs, produced by Olivier Julien, offers an intimate and heritage-rich experience of embodied literature. A landmark audio collection in which literature becomes presence. 2 CD audiobook, in French.

The Miser (L'Avare) is undoubtedly Molière's most famous play. It is one of his most frequently performed masterpieces and has become a staple of the Comédie-Française repertoire. This box set also includes: L'Étourdi ou les Contretemps (inspired by the commedia dell'arte) and Le Dépit amoureux (a study of feelings and social misunderstandings). The great names of classical theater (Georges Chamarat, Albert Reyval) and popular French theater (Michel Galabru, Daniel Prévost) give us the opportunity to hear these immortal classics of our literary heritage. Patrick Frémeaux

This box set offers an immersion into the vibrant spirit of the Roaring Twenties. Curated by Norman Barreau-Gély and Olivier Julien, it pays tribute to the singers who shaped the musical and cultural imagination of the interwar years. From Paris to Broadway, it gathers the queens of the music hall-Mistinguett, Joséphine Baker-the great "réaliste" singers such as Damia and Fréhel, as well as the muses, including Kiki de Montparnasse (whose complete recordings are presented here). A unique sonic journey where glamour, boldness, humor, sensuality, and irreverence converge to tell, through music, the story of the women who, a hundred years ago, dared to transform their era. Patrick Frémeaux

In this poignant and personal work, Benjamin Stora traces the history of Algeria, blending grand history with personal memories: stories of his childhood in Constantine, his family's exile in 1962, and his long quest for a shared truth about colonization and the war of independence. Both witness and historian, he sheds light on the conflicts of memory-Pieds-Noirs, Harkis, immigrants, Algerian Jews-and shows how these wounds still shape Algerian and French societies. The tone alternates between autobiographical testimony, rigorous historical investigation, and a plea for reconciliation through knowledge. Written by an "actor-researcher," it is aimed at both the general public and specialists: an invitation to understand Algeria through a life story that speaks to both sides of the Mediterranean. By addressing hybrid identities, paths to assimilation, and quests for self, his narrative takes on a dimension that is both intimate and universal. Claude Colombini Frémeaux

Rap was born with the art of speaking, and it's Caribbean and U.S. roots were recorded right from the beginning of the 20th century: inflamed utterances, impassioned preaching, negro spirituals, folk, and slam poets on the downbeat. But the amazing recordings included herein first and foremost show how quadrille callers morphed into DJs hosting dancefloors at the mike, laying the fundamentals of hip hop culture. Bruno Blum comments on more aspects of the roots of rap, such as radio DJs, talking blues, and jazz. Patrick Frémeaux

A jubilant dialogue between Mandingo music and acoustic jazz, «The Following» was born from the collaboration between French jazz pianist Olivier Hutman and Senegalese kora player Lamine Cissokho. Each track, which blends modern improvisation with elements of traditional music, acts as a bridge that enriches the global musical heritage. This exceptional project is enhanced by the participation of the legendary American bluesman Eric Bibb. Essential for all lovers of jazz, blues, and world music. Augustin Bondoux / Patrick Frémeaux

For 60 years, Les Haricots Rouges have been tireless ambassadors of à la française New Orleans jazz, celebrating their remarkable journey with undimmed camaraderie and youthful vitality. True living legends, they have spent six decades sharing their love of swing and joyful jazz with audiences worldwide. Blending timeless classics with original compositions, this album proves that the band's heart still beats as fast and as fiercely as ever. Patrick Frémeaux

This box set brings together three major albums by Riccardo del Fra, an essential double bassist and composer on the European jazz scene. From the intimacy of the duets on A Sip of Your Touch, a sensitive and deeply personal tribute, to the ambitious orchestral writing of My Chet My Song, Riccardo del Fra explores the legacy of Chet Baker while reinventing it. With Moving People, he anchors his approach in a resolutely contemporary language: open, committed music inspired by the upheavals of today's world. Through these three complementary facets emerges the portrait of a complete musician, exploring and reshaping memory while always looking to the future, for whom sound, silence, and precision remain essential. A reference box set for understanding the aesthetic of the great Italian double bassist. Augustin Bondoux / Patrick Frémeaux

Les Presses Universitaires de France and Frémeaux & Associés present this biography of François Mitterrand, written by Judith Bonnin, a specialist in political history and the history of international relations, and Pierre-Emmanuel Guigo, a specialist in the history of political communication and the history of the media in the contemporary era. François Mitterrand, an iconic figure of the Fifth Republic, left a lasting mark on France. This biography, presented by historians Judith Bonnin and Pierre-Emmanuel Guigo, explores the many facets of this complex man: his political rise, his controversial choices, his passions, and his contradictions, revealing the man behind the president in a rich and nuanced biography. The authors draw on the abundant existing literature as well as unpublished archives to recount the life and political actions of the man who was twelve times minister under the Fourth Republic, deputy, main opponent of de Gaulle, first secretary of the Socialist Party, and president for fourteen years. Through precise and well-documented analysis, this audiobook reveals the behind-the-scenes story of a life dedicated to power and the transformation of French society. Claude Colombini Frémeaux

Sonny Criss is an unsung hero in the history of jazz. A brilliant alto saxophonist of the bebop era, his unparalleled talent nevertheless remained in the shadow of Charlie Parker. Published at the same time as Alain Gerber's biographical novel Ne laissez pas le soleil se lever sur vos larmes (Don't Let the Sun Rise on Your Tears), this anthology highlights the musician's extraordinary virtuosity and expressiveness. An unexpected tribute to one of the greatest forgotten masters of 20th-century jazz. Patrick Frémeaux

The notion of protection highlights contrasting realities: on one hand, Palestinians, deprived of security guarantees; on the other, Israelis, marked by the fear of a constant threat. These situations fuel tensions, particularly annexation, settlement expansion, and international recognition. Emmanuelle Morau underscores, through these issues, a broader inability to guarantee and acknowledge the fundamental rights of peoples-a failure illustrated by what the West refers to as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her work raises an essential ethical question: that of our collective difficulty in recognizing all human beings as equal. It thus invites reflection on the possibilities of coexistence and sharing between peoples who stem from a common cultural and linguistic heritage. Audiobook, in French.

This CD, produced by Jean-Baptiste Mersiol, offers a thoughtful journey through the poetic works of Guillaume Apollinaire, a founding figure of 20th-century literary modernity. Through historical recordings, it highlights the oral reception of his texts by great interpreters of theatrical heritage: Jean Negroni, Jacques Duby, Maurice Escande, and Jean Topart. From La Chanson du mal-aimé to the poems of Alcools, from Bestiaire to texts from the war period, this anthology captures the diversity of a body of work that combines lyricism, experimentation, and memory. In addition, there is an exceptional archival document: Guillaume Apollinaire reciting Le Pont Mirabeau on cylinder in 1913, a rare testimony to the poet's voice and the history of recorded works. Patrick Frémeaux

From his early days in Parisian cabarets to his first recordings, Marc Ogeret embodied the art of interpretation with rare intensity and intelligence. Singing Léo Ferré, Guy Béart, Aristide Bruant, François Villon, and Pierre Seghers, he united poetry with commitment. This 2-CD set, curated by Jean-Baptiste Mersiol, highlights his earliest recordings, spanning traditional and popular songs to contemporary hits, and reveals a generous interpreter of unmatched nuance. French song in it's most authentic, committed form. Patrick Frémeaux

The Second World War remains the largest and most devastating armed conflict of the twentieth century. By it's intensity, it's excess, and it's global scale, it profoundly upheaved the world order. A total war extending to the four corners of the globe, it remains without equal in the number of victims and in the scale of the atrocities committed. It raises fundamental questions about human relations and the philosophical and political foundations of modern societies: totalitarianism and democracy, colonialism, and the right of peoples to self-determination. Produced by Jean-Baptiste Mersiol, this anthology offers a chronological journey through a selection of the most striking Sound Archives of the war: radio broadcasts, news bulletins, reports, programs, and official communiqués. Sources in foreign languages have been translated into French and are performed by Sarah Eddy. The conflict unfolds through the speeches of the major figures of the time - Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Charles de Gaulle, Franklin D. Roosevelt - but also through the prism of contemporary news reports. A powerful immersion at the heart of history, revealing both the intensity of the conflict and the moral and metaphysical rupture engendered by it's atrocities. Patrick Frémeaux

Derived from Cuban danzón, the cha-cha-chá emerged in the wake of 1950s mambo and turned out to be even more popular. A fabulous, danceable, influential, international music, it produced the indispensable original version of Santana's famous hit "Oye Como Va," for example, as well as "Chanchullo," the Cuban piece that inspired it (both included here). Bruno Blum recounts the birth of cha-cha-chá and comments on it-a peak in Cuban music, before the 1959 revolution that led so many Cuban musicians to flee to the USA. The golden age of cha-cha-chá is typical of exchanges between Cuban and American musicians such as Tito Puente, who soon made this style his own. It is, however, the authentic, original Cuban sound that is prioritised here. Patrick Frémeaux

After giving an eventful concert in Antibes/Juan-les-Pins in July '61, Ray Charles went back to France in October, but this time to Paris for a series of memorable performances. This set was prepared by Joël Dufour, one of the world's specialists in matters concerning Brother Ray, and it's historic value makes it essential listening... because it contains the only live performances where Ray Charles swapped his piano for a Hammond organ. With 25 previously unreleased titles and bonuses, this special release provides a brand-new perspective of the man nicknamed the Genius, a generous, virtuoso musician who enjoyed an imperial reign.

Between May 17 and 25, 1962, Ray Charles, "The Genius", returned to Paris for a series of memorable concerts. And he was at his peak, fronting his big band and accompanied by his Raelets led by a dazzling Margie Hendrix. This 3-album set prepared by Joël Dufour with the help of Michel Brillié and Gilles Pétard contains previously unreleased material and bonus tracks that include recordings made in Ray's own studio, where he plays piano alongside his favorite artists, Percy Mayfield and Louis Jordan. And this set has a must: "Blue Stone" is a great instrumental with Ray playing alto, but he never recorded it in a studio. And you can listen to it here!

He remains one of the greatest musical icons of the 20th century, and Ray Charles is considered a rock 'n' roll pioneer, the Genius of Soul and modern R&B, and also the inventor of Pop. This analysis by Joel Dufour is a focus on Ray's universe almost from birth, and it highlights the excitement that Ray created in the decades fifties and sixties. Here the spotlight on his music ("His Inspiration") covers jazz, gospel, country and blues before moving on ("His Influence") to emphasise how his music spread out to reach such artists as The Everly Brothers, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Booker T & the MGs, Harry Belafonte, and Elvis Presley. This is the Ray Charles "revolution" explained by it's greatest specialist.

In the early 1960s, an instrumental, electric guitar rock sound alluding to the California surf trend was born. This sunny world, a symbol of freedom, dating in bathing suits, big waves and suntanned athletes soon inspired songs on this theme. Bruno Blum reflects on the roots and birth of surf rock and it's precursors, unveiling and commenting on compelling recordings by Sol Ho'opi'i from Hawaii, Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy and some early surf rock performers including The Ventures, Dick Dale and The Revels. And of course vocal groups such as the Beach Boys, who started off singing about the surf world, an integral part of the American myth.

The violin is not an instrument that one readily associates with jazz. And yet it has always been part of black American music. This 2-CD set covers the 1927-1944 period and presents the best violin players in the history of jazz. Features Stephane Grappelli, Joe Venuti, Stuff Smith, Svend Asmussen, Eddie South Michel Warlop and many others. Includes a 40 page booklet with both French and English notes.

(2-CD set) The harmonica, thanks to the blues, today enjoys immense favour and has become an essential feature of the current popular-music scene. This collection traces the evolution of the harmonica in the black music of prewar America, from minstrel shows through to Chicago blues. It includes an extremely practical technical study for harmonica players. Includes a 32 page booklet with both French and English notes.

(2-CD set) Bob Wills was one of the creators of Western Swing, somewhere between Country Music, jazz and blues. His work is impressive, versatile, danceable and full of swing. This boxed set retraces the best years of his long career (1932-47). Includes a 24 page booklet with both French and English notes.

(2-CD set) “And then he came on, already smiling, ‘cause he was really nice. He had a big smile with beautiful white teeth and a beautiful black moustache and he smiled at the audience. He came to play a bit. And what he gave was real music.” Fud CANDRIX. Includes a 40 page booklet with both French and English notes.

(2-CD set) USA 1947: the start of the cold war, launching of the Marshall Plan, creation of the CIA… Elvis Presley was 12, Carl Perkins 15. America was rocking and rolling to juke boxes and radios. With these Rock ‘n’ Roll albums you can tap your foot in time with American history. Includes a 48 page booklet with both French and English notes.

(4-CD set) SOUND ANTHOLOGY ON SOCIALISM - For the first time ever this sound anthology reunites 80 years of audible evidence which covers almost two centuries of history. This venture involved several years of research and comprises historical speeches as were made by the most influential personalities at the end of the 19th century and during the first thirty years of the 20th century, as well as rare recordings including workers' songs and an International dating back to 1899, the very year it was sung for the first time during a socialist congress. The anthology is complete with a 200 page book which explains in detail the historical context behind each recording and which includes a variety of illustrations. -

This boxed set reunites Raul Barboza’s first two albums made in France. For the first time the major titles recorded by this Argentinean accordionist have been selected, finding him in the company of a great variety of artists who sought after his collaboration since he has been living in Paris. This unprecedented compilation is offered with a new recording by Raul Barboza - one of his most memorable concerts given during the tenth accordion festival held in Montmagny (Quebec). Includes a 40 page booklet with both French and English notes.