Glossa is now introducing into its catalogue one of the most sought-after titles from the now defunct Symphonia label and a recording replete with poetry and expertise. The graceful airs de cour of Pierre Guédron - who worked in the courts of the French kings Henri IV and Louis XIII at the beginning of the 17th century - are interspersed here with lute preludes by leading exponents of the instrument at the time, such as Robert Ballard and Nicolas Vallet. Soprano Claudine Ansermet and lutenist Paolo Cherici conjure up a recital of singular beauty which takes us back to the world of those early aristocratic salons, such as that of the Marquise de Rambouillet, one which was known throughout Europe as a centre of the highest order for literature, poetry and music.