Petit Petit

Joseph Boismortier (1689-1755) may be well represented on disc but it’s fair to say that his name rarely sets the pulse truly racing. In fact, although on the face of it he shares a huge amount in common with his German contemporary Georg Philipp Telemann, it’s hard to picture a world in which a Boismortier anniversary would be celebrated with as much enthusiasm as Telemann’s 250th is currently being.

Even on its first record "L'Escapade" (1974), Mona Lisa appeared as a dedicated follower of the theatrical, emotional and melodramatic rock created by Ange. The emphasis, the sensibility, the vocal subtlety of Dominique Le Guennec goes beyond the usual style. He "lives" his lyrics and surprises the listener by performing an expressive and suggestive music that evoke Genesis. The group got better with each album. "Grimaces" and especially "Le Petit Violon De Monsieur Grégoire" are two different landmarks of their technical maturity, that is evident thanks to a Steve Hackett style of guitar and the growth of the singer's vocal power and charisma. A true landmark of the Seventies French Progressive rock scene.

The title of the first volume in Bertrand Cuiller's projected series on Harmonia Mundi, François Couperin L'Alchimiste: Un petit théâtre du monde, hints at the background of these French Baroque pieces for harpsichord, which were often inspired by the colorful society surrounding the composer. Couperin's titles have always intrigued listeners with their mysterious allusions, and the teasing quality of the music often reveals a quirky sense of humor, though the titles and musical images point to a tradition that extended from Renaissance literature and the practices of the French lute school: to make a piece emblematic of some person, object, or quality by giving it a symbolic title.

Giovanni Paisiello was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini, and his music was championed by Haydn and Beethoven.