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"Folies Modales" is an ambitious project, passionately and skillfully blending ancient European and Eastern modal music with jazz, rock, and even progressive metal.
While Henri Agnel’s compositions draw inspiration from the modes and rhythms of North India, Persia, the Arab world, Andalusia, and medieval Europe, stretching as far as Scandinavia, they still leave ample room for improvised dialogue.
Virtuosity and delicacy define "Folies Modales," featuring vocals and ancient or traditional instruments subtly interwoven with electronic effects.
Les Ménestriers is the internationally renowned medieval and Renaissance music ensemble of which Henri Agnel was a member during the 1970s and 80s.
Even back then, in addition to early music repertoires, the group performed contemporary works composed for period instruments. Henri Agnel has now taken over as director and is keen to develop this creative space.
The musicians he has brought together for this project share with him extensive experience in early European and Eastern modal music, as well as in jazz, rock, and progressive metal.
The son of Amina Alaoui and Henri Agnel, he began his musical training at age four on the violin with Michael Nick, and later studied the zarb, classical guitar, and cittern with his father.
He taught himself the udu, flamenco cajón, and electric guitar. At the age of seven, he joined the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris for a two-year period under the direction of Nicole Corti, studying Gregorian, Baroque, and contemporary vocal music. He also studied Indian tabla with Nabankur Batacharia.
He has been performing professionally as a percussionist since the age of ten. He is also a composer.
Began studying the violin at age 8 with Peter Heil at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory in Mainz.
At age 12, he began composition studies with Erwin Amend, a former student of Paul Hindemith.
At the age of 17, he left Germany and settled in Paris to play with the Hungarian saxophonist, composer, and painter Yochk’o Seffer (progressive rock); at the same time, he took lessons with Maryvonne Le Dizès (Ensemble Intercontemporain).
He subsequently collaborated with numerous musicians and groups, such as Art Zoyd, Siegfried Kessler, David Liebman, Angélique Ionatos, Jean-Marie Machado, Didier Petit’s NOHC, Pablo Cueco, Michel Doneda, Daunik Lazro, Claude Tchamitchian, Sophie Agnel, Ramon Lopez, Cesar Stroscio, Orient Express Mouving Shnorer, Michael Riessler, Jérôme Noetinger, Hélène Breschand, …
A virtuoso flautist and eclectic musician, Chris Hayward is equally at home in classical music, jazz, and contemporary music (having notably played with Henri Texier, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Daniel Goyone, etc.).
Here, he plays flute and percussion (flutes, kaval, daf) in a repertoire he is particularly fond of and has been performing for many years.
Indeed, back in the 1970s, he was among the first to rediscover and record this ancient yet vibrant music.