Franco-American singer Rosemary Standley tackles Baroque repertory with sobriety and elegance. Accompanied by the ensemble of Bruno Helstroffer, a guitarist and lutenist at the crossroads between ‘early’ and ‘modern’ worlds, Helstroffer’s Band is made up of musicians specializing in early instruments. The evocatively titled Love, I Obey is a poignant tribute to ballads that seem to warp time. The in-depth research pursued by the group’s harpsichordist Elisabeth Geiger restores to life pieces forgotten for 400 years, such as the title song by William Lawes.

Michel Richard de Lalande, who worked at the court of Versailles, was probably the most influential and most talented composer of sacred music during the early eighteenth century. The works on this recording show a mixture of contemplative simplicity and virtuosity and are undoubtedly amongst the most expressively eloquent works ever written for a female soloist.