‘Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian & Ensemble Alia Mens’

A new jewel of early music, the French ensemble Alia Mens is a proud explorer of Bach and his cantatas. Among its qualities, the newspaper Grammophone notes: "the sense of the text, the harsh and meticulous relief of the instruments, the sobriety of the collected tone and the gesture of a disturbing coherence". Under the direction of harpsichordist Olivier Spilmont, Alia Mens immerses itself in cantatas BWV 170 and BWV 54. These works demonstrate Bach's expressive inventiveness. For accompanied solo viola voice (here that of countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian), they depict the duality of the believer, torn between the pangs of existence and the hope of eternal salvation. The Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041, played by Stéphanie Paulet (concertmaster of the Insula Orchestra), recalls Vivaldi's decisive influence on the young German composer.