Various Composers - La Blancheur des Cygnes (Café des Chansons)

Information

1. Charles Trenet - Y'a d’la joie
2. Georges Garvarentz - Hier encore
3. Solann Lis-Amboyan - Rome
4. Barbara - Mon enfance
5. Mele Fred - C’est chic les longs pantalons
6. Zaho de Sagazan - La symphonie des éclairs
7. Charlotte Haesen - Où est l’amour
8. Joseph Kosma - Je suis comme je suis
9. Camille - Ta douleur
10. Camille Bertault - Je vieillis
11. Gianni Ferrio - Paroles, paroles
12. Georges Brassens - Les amoureux des bancs publics
13. Charlotte Haesen - La Beauté

Café des Chansons

    Charlotte Haesen, vocals

    Giles Francis violin

    Evelien Jaspers violin

    Odile Torenbeek viola

    Sebastiaan van Halsema cello

Date: 2026

Label: Challenge Classics

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La Blancheur des Cygnes is a lyrical and introspective project celebrating feminine strength, beauty, and self-expression through the tradition of French chanson. Framed by historian Els Kloek’s reflections on Simone de Beauvoir’s legacy, the album traces women’s evolution from passive subjects to empowered voices. Charlotte Haesen, joined by the Café des Chansons quartet, explores nearly a century of repertoire, blending classic and contemporary songs that address love, vulnerability, and self-acceptance. The title evokes transformation and reclaimed beauty, symbolizing authenticity beyond the male gaze. Through fourteen chansons, the album offers a sensitive yet powerful artistic statement on empathy, balance, and feminine identity in the modern world.

Founded in Amsterdam in 2015, Café des Chansons reimagines the French chanson through the distinctive combination of a classical string quartet and jazz-trained singer Charlotte Haesen. The ensemble—violinists Giles Francis and Evelien Jaspers, violist Odile Torenbeek, and cellist Sebastiaan van Halsema—are all classically trained musicians who also perform with leading Dutch orchestras, including the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Phion, ASKO | Schönberg, and Kamerata Zuid. Their repertoire spans from Haydn and Beethoven to Brel and Barbara, alongside original arrangements created especially for them. Blending refined chamber music sonorities with a subtle jazz inflection, Café des Chansons offers a fresh and elegant perspective on chanson tradition.

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