Philippe Pierlot

This recording includes an excellent selection from Beethoven’s many settings of Irish folksongs, with imaginative new arrangements of his accompaniments, rescored for more traditional instruments than the original piano, violin and cello.

« Taking a viol in his hands, he began to play it with such sweetness that all the other emotions of the people present were surpassed by pleasure, even more so when he began to sing with the sweetest tenor voice… » Wedding celebration of the most serene D. Francesco Medici… 1579.

Da pacem gathers music by Heinrich Schütz that expressed the prayers of his listeners during the troubling times of the Thirty Years’ War, a period when the people of Central Europe “in such great fear and danger of war, sang with each other such useful and comforting songs”. Whether in elaborate concertos or simple motets, his music conveyed people’s hopes for a fair and lasting peace that can still resonate in our ears today.

Four years after the superb ‘Membra Jesu nostri’, the Ricercar Consort once again turns to Buxtehude.The majority of the cantatas in this recording are centred on Christ’s Passion and Resurrection. With the both dramatic and comforting sounds of his cantatas, Buxtehude succeeded in shifting the focus from human suffering to divine help, thus giving people a foretaste of heavenly harmony and perfection.

« Taking a viol in his hands, he began to play it with such sweetness that all the other emotions of the people present were surpassed by pleasure, even more so when he began to sing with the sweetest tenor voice… » Wedding celebration of the most serene D. Francesco Medici… 1579.

« Taking a viol in his hands, he began to play it with such sweetness that all the other emotions of the people present were surpassed by pleasure, even more so when he began to sing with the sweetest tenor voice… » Wedding celebration of the most serene D. Francesco Medici… 1579.

« Taking a viol in his hands, he began to play it with such sweetness that all the other emotions of the people present were surpassed by pleasure, even more so when he began to sing with the sweetest tenor voice… » Wedding celebration of the most serene D. Francesco Medici… 1579.

The repertory for viol consort of the Stuart age in England consists of fantasias and miscellaneous pieces whose dense, continuous polyphony conveys a sonic and social ideal of Concord and harmony.

Just in time for Christmas the Ricercar Consort present three festive works by JS Bach, where an exuberant ensemble, with flutes, oboes, trumpets and timpani, and voices to express the comfort and joy inspired by the Nativity. The Ricercar Consort was founded in 1980 by harpsichordist and now director Philippe Pierlot. They have made a significant discography, especially on the Mirare label, where their recordings have met with consistent acclaim and respect, in particular for their exceptional „Magnificat“.

Around the Tombeau Les Regrets by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, several of the finest pieces by the ‘Orpheus of our time’ are assembled, along with transcriptions for three viols modelled on the concerts he gave with his daughters.