The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is a Swiss symphony orchestra, based in Geneva at the Victoria Hall. In addition to symphony concerts, the OSR performs as the opera orchestra in productions at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
…Again I am very impressed by this new Ange line-up, what an enthousiastic and inspired band, for me it's obvious that they enjoy playing the music and they are even seems honoured to support the charismatic French progrock legend Christian Decamps!..
Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre is one of the most remarkable female musical figures in history. Rarely has a woman composer garnered such esteem in her own time, and her success, rather than provoking resentment in the hearts of her contemporaries, inspired the utmost admiration. One has to give credit to the Grand Siècle, a unique period in this regard, for granting Élisabeth the respect she truly deserved. This recording features works seldom heard but nonetheless of exceptional quality, exemplifying two genres in which Jacquet de La Guerre excelled: the French cantata and the suite for harpsichord. In these, we can discover the intrinsic and timeless value of her artistry, regardless of the anecdotal aspects of the historical and social conditions in which they were created.
The London Oboe Band have been around since the early 1980s yet this, remarkably, is their first recording. I dare say that ten years ago an ensemble of these potentially troublesome baroque wind instruments might not have been the happiest sound imaginable, but things have come a long way since then, and there is really no faulting the standard of playing on this disc. Led by one of the best baroque oboists around, the band plays with consistently accurate intonation, good blending and refinement of sound. Every one of their instruments is a modern copy, and if that means that the sheer exotic colouring of some of those wonderful old oboes is missing, the benefits in reliability are obvious right from the first notes.
The overarching themes of this interesting collection of French Baroque concerts royaux and cantatas are war and peace. Composers Montéclair and Clérambault evoke the sounds of war with symphonies of trumpets, fifes and drums, and a mood of peace with the dulcet tones of musettes. Martin Gester and his ensemble Le Parlement de Musique offer colorful and incisive performances of this fascinating repertoire. Both the title work, Montéclair s Le Retour de la paix and Clérambault s cantata L isle de Délos feature the exciting young soprano Dorothée Leclair.
Gossec made an important contribution to the development of French symphonic music and played a central role in Parisian musical life for almost three-quarters of a century. The opera 'Le Triomphe de la République' was composed in 1793 folowing the French Revolution and wonderfully demonstrates the musical movement that France experienced following the change in political climate. Music was recognized as a medium for the diffusion of new ideas and 'Le Triomphe de la République' was a case in point. It was written in the wake of popular enthusiasm at the news of the army's victory at the battle of Vlamy in 1792 against the anti-French troops led by the Duke of Brunswick. It features folk music and popular dances of the day reflecting a kind of life quite distinct from that of intellectual, aristocratic society.
Pour son 3ème album, le chemin de la maison, Emma Daumas a choisi d'écrire son histoire et de s'impliquer comme jamais. En plus de s'être remise à l'écriture et la composition pour préparer les 12 titres de ce nouvel opus, Emma s'est entourée d'intervenants de qualité : Marcel Kanche (auteur pour Bashung, M, Vanessa Paradis) qui lui a écrit la ballade douce amère "Neverland", Peter Von Poehl (ex-guitariste d'AS Dragon et producteur du dernier Vincent Delerm) pour la composition de "Lipstick et Rimmel" ou encore Mickaël Furnon (leader de Mickey 3D devenu Mick est tout seul) : au-delà de l'écriture, ce fût une vraie rencontre entre les deux artistes.