Viole

Jordi Savall - Marin Marais - Suitte D'un Gout Etranger, Pieces De Viole Du IV Livre, 1717 (2006) {2CD Set, Alia Vox AVSA 9851}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 576 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 257 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 630 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2006 Alia Vox | AVSA 9851 A+B | DSD mastering
Classical / Chamber Music / Baroque

French composer Marin Marais (1656-1728) was remarkably prolific, writing nearly 600 compositions for viola da gamba, as well as many operas. One of his major collections of music for the gamba is Suitte d'un Gôut Etranger, a collection of 33 short works written, according to the composer, "to stretch the skill of those who do not like easy pieces." Jordi Savall, the most acclaimed gamba player of the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries, who is responsible for bringing many of Marais' works to light, plays with extraordinary virtuosity and expressiveness.

The most substantial pieces here are the set of variations of La folia, and the Tombeau pour M-deSte Colombe in memory of Marais's mentor. His idiom embodies a paradox that's peculiarly French, in that it demands a very high technical standard, yet its proper expression requires the utmost restraint. The young Finnish viol-player, Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, is a founder-member of Phantasm.

Jordi Savall - Monsieur de Sainte Colombe le fils & Marin Marais - Le Parnasse de la Viole (2003) {3CD Box Set Alia Vox AV9829}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 869 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 378 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 102 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2003 Alia Vox | AV 9829 A/C
Classical / Baroque / Viola da gamba

Jordi Savall's exquisite three-disc box set entitled Le Parnasse de la viole is devoted to the passionately expressive and virtuosic music of two great French Baroque composers, Sainte-Colombe the Younger and Marin Marais. The six suites by Sainte-Colombe adhere to the familiar form established by the end of the seventeenth century; each consists of such familiar dances as the allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue, and gavotte.

Like many of his contemporaries, Marin Marais has paid the price of his proximity to some outstandingly brilliant musicians. Between Lully and Rameau we can still cite Charpentier, Delalande, Campra and François Couperin. But what about the others? The Destouches, Mouret and Marais pale beside the stars of a fertile era which was rocked by controversy. The school of harpsichordists and organists, who were no match for Lully’s vocal art, are still represented in the repertoire of present-day performers: D’Anglebert, Lebègue, Dandrieu, Grigny and Clérambault are still played on our instruments. But Marin Marais had the misfortune not only to compose operas in Lully’s domain, but also to devote the bulk of his art to an instrument which was being eclipsed by the advance of the violin family… namely, the VIOLA DA GAMBA or the BASS VIOL. And it is only recently that we have rediscovered the specific manner of playing this instrument as well as the composers who wrote for it.

Marais (1656-1728) was once among the least-known French baroque composers, a specialist in the viole (or viola da gamba), an instrument that was already obsolescent in his lifetime but one that he raised to unprecedented heights of technical finesse and expressive power. Now, since the film "Tous les Matins du Monde," in which his role was taken by Gerard Depardieu, his discography has risen to a full, well-deserved column in the Schwann-Opus catalogue. This beautifully styled recording of three suites and a caprice by the Charivari Agreable trio is a fine addition to his discography.

Entre la publication du Deuxième Livre en 1701 et celle du Troisième Livre, dix années se sont écoulées et Marais s’est imposé comme compositeur de Tragédies lyriques. Mais, entre-temps quelques jeunes violistes, dont certains sont ses élèves, viennent de publier leurs premiers recueils de Pièces de Viole. Marais doit donc s’imposer comme étant toujours le maître du genre, exercice parfaitement réussi avec ce nouvel opus dans lequel il s’attache à proposer à son public des pièces plus faciles et d’autres plus exigeantes pour « contenter ceux qui sont plus avancés dans la viole ». Le style a également changé : aux suites traditionnelles les pièces de caractère apportent un complément de plus en plus important…

Andreas Scholl's singing has been developing year by year. In this more recent release, his singing style moved more and more towards pure art with no traces of pretenses or technical showmanship, no excessive vibrato or wild coloraturas. He did not even need to target at 'perfect vocal production'. All these have become secondary stuff when you reach this level of artistry. The other-wordliness of this album has to be heard to be catched.

Louis Caix d'Hervelois représente non seulement un des sommets de la viole francaise tardive du XVIIIe siècle en qualité et en quantité (pas moins de 5 livres publiés), mais aussi une heureuse synthèse de l'ange Marin Marais et du diable Antoine Forqueray le tout couronné par l'influence galante de son très proche ami Bodin de Boismortier. Même si l'anthologie de Jordi Savall est maintenant disponible en téléchargement (après avoir été longtemps introuvable), je vous conseille d'acheter cette anthologie de Jay Bernfeld (qui a joué dans Hesperion XX) et de son ensemble.

This double-disc set might seem to be an item for Baroque specialists only, but general listeners should sample it as well; it's quite lovely, and its history has a labor-of-love aspect that comes through in the playing by Norwegian harpsichordist Ketil Haugsand, a specialist in the music of Jean-Baptiste Forqueray. He built the harpsichord himself and finally managed to record these pieces after several false starts.