CD release: Café des Chansons, feat. Charlotte Haesen

An ode to the beauty and power of feminine energy, translated into the refined elegance of French chanson. Charlotte Haesen, vocals, performs for you with the Café des Chansons String Quartet: Giles Francis, Evelien Jaspers, Odile Torenbeek, and Sebastiaan van Halsema.

The Café des Chansons was founded in Amsterdam in 2015 and has since explored the boundaries of French chanson with a unique line-up. The ensemble consists of a professional classical string quartet with Giles Francis and Evelien Jaspers on violin, Odile Torenbeek on viola, and Sebastiaan van Halsema on cello, combined with the voice of Charlotte Haesen, trained as a jazz singer.

The heart of the repertoire is French chanson, presenting both classics and original compositions. Each song is carefully arranged by renowned arrangers who write especially for this combination. The string quartet creates a classical sound, while Charlotte's jazz background gives the whole a unique color.

The chansons on the CD ‘La Blancheur des Cygnes’ tell stories about women in the past, women today, women about beauty, love, their independence or lack thereof. Their strength or fragility... Sometimes Charlotte sings about herself, sometimes she sings about women who are not like her,
but she portrays them beautifully too.

On this CD, Charlotte demonstrates her multicolored timbre.

Charlotte Haesen- vocals
Giles Francis - violin
Evelien Jaspers - violin
Odile Torenbeek - viola
Sebastiaan van Halsema - cello

Photo Charlotte: Carlos Villaroel
Photo van Strijkkwartet: Lisanne Soeterbroek