[trio sonata]
Philarmonica
At the end of the 1600s, London experienced an artistic golden age, with the arrival of many foreign musicians and the proliferation of theatres and concert halls where audiences came to listen to the stars of the moment. One of these musicians was the Italian Nicola Matteis, who arrived around 1660 and became the sensation of the London music scene. Purcell was only a child at the time and there is no evidence of them ever meeting, but it is very likely that Purcell was familiar with Matteis' works, including his Ayres, recorded here for the first time in a version for four-part consort. This effervescence in London gave rise to some surprising discoveries, such as the music of a mysterious composer who published trio sonatas around 1715 under the name Mrs Philarmonica. The Consort presents the very first recording of this highly interesting music, undoubtedly influenced by Corelli and probably composed by a female musician who, given the conventions of the time, used a pseudonym. Unfortunately, her true identity remains unknown to us.
Specchio Veneziano
Specchio Veneziano, or the Venetian Mirror: this programme brings together two composers from the City of the Doges: on the one hand, the famous Vivaldi, and on the other, the virtually unknown Giovanni Battista Reali, born in Venice in 1681, three years after Vivaldi, and who died in 1751, ten years after his illustrious colleague. A violinist himself, he composed trio sonatas, including a spectacular Folia, which Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Sophie de Bardonnèche, Hanna Salzenstein and Justin Taylor mirror with Vivaldi's Folia, alongside several other highly virtuosic pieces and absolute rediscoveries, since half of this programme has never been recorded.
Opus 1
Although Dandrieu is best known for his talents as an organist, his trio sonatas deserve a prominent place in the chamber music of the period. They display a mastery of style and an astonishing variety of character. Dances bursting with energy, a playful and spirited counterpoint between the three parts, movements suspended by their highly expressive Italian-style delays, articulation, phrasing, rhythm, gentleness, passion... life itself. He published them under the name Premier oeuvre in 1705, at the age of 23, the age we were when we first met and played these sonatas: ‘Opus 1 as the title for this album was therefore a natural choice!’ say the members of the Consort. The trio sonata emerged in the second half of the 17th century and Corelli, master of the genre, contributed to its popularity throughout Europe. Dandrieu's trio sonatas bear the mark of Corelli. And when he named one of his harpsichord pieces La Corelli, he established himself as the heir to the great Italian master... We have taken up the challenge of offering a version in the form of a Sonata a tre...
[Vocal Music]
Begin the song
For their very first recording recital, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian and his friends from Le Consort invite us to rediscover a repertoire that is particularly close to their hearts: the golden age of English music. Half a century after Alfred Deller's legendary revivals, they have put all their artistry at the service of a constantly renewed sense of wonder at these sublime works.
Teatro Sant'Angelo
During the Venice Carnival of 1637, a piece entitled ‘rappresentata in musica’ was performed in public for the first time... It was a success. Opera was born and spread like wildfire. Venice had more theatres than anywhere else in the world. In 1677, the Teatro Sant'Angelo opened its doors on the campo of the same name. Cramped, chaotic, extremely productive and inexpensive, it was renowned for its musicians and sets. This effervescence owed much to the figure of Vivaldi, who, from 1705 onwards, regularly premiered his operas there and acted (with his father) as impresario. Arsilda, L'incoronazione di Dario and La verità in cimento were triumphs there, but he also invited composers such as the young Fortunato Chelleri and Giovanni Alberto Ristori... Mezzo-soprano Adèle Charvet and her colleagues from Le Consort pay tribute to all these composers with a flamboyant programme combining famous arias and world premieres... no fewer than 12!
Royal Handel
London, February 1719, birth of the Royal Academy of Music. Georg Friedrich Handel is appointed musical director. Originally from Germany, having spent four years in Italy, Handel wants to make London the new capital of opera. The only language sung on the stage of the King's Theatre was Italian, and two other composers were brought over from the peninsula: Attilio Ariosti and Giovanni Battista Bononcini. Both string instrumentalists, they brought a new instrumental dimension. The enthusiasm was considerable: 34 operas and more than 460 performances were given in nine years at the Royal Academy. Handel premiered his masterpieces Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Ottone and Radamisto there. Ariosti and Bononcini also enjoyed great success between 1720 and 1723, notably with Coriolano (Ariosti) and its sublime aria ‘Sagri numi’. ROYAL HANDEL is a musical portrait of the first Royal Academy of Music. Eva Zaïcik and her colleagues from the Consort celebrate the prodigious variety of Handel's genius and introduce us to previously unheard arias by Ariosti and Bononcini: "We are captivated by the ghostly Stille amare, the radiant fury of “Agitato da fiere tempeste”, the virtuosity of Gelosia, spietata Aletto, the twirling L'aure che spira, the contrapuntal asceticism of Ombra cara and the poignant Deggio morire.
Venez chère ombre
Mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïcik joins Alpha for several recordings. Voted Lyric Revelation of the Year at the 2018 Victoires de la Musique Classique awards and winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium that same year, Eva Zaïcik is one of the most prominent lyric artists of her generation. She has participated in William Christie's Jardin des Voix des Arts Florissants and collaborates regularly with Le Poème Harmonique and Vincent Dumestre... But her long-time collaborator is harpsichordist Justin Taylor. Together with two other musicians from the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, violinists Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Sophie de Bardonnèche, they created Le Consort, which explores the secular and sacred works of composers such as Charpentier, Campra, Clérambault... For this recording, they were joined by flutist Anna Besson and gambist Lucile Boulanger, both well known to the Alpha label, as well as Louise Pierrard (viola da gamba) and Thibault Roussel (theorbo).
[concertos with orchestra Le Consort]
Concerti per violoncello
Following her first solo album, E il violoncello suonò, Hanna Salzenstein continues in this second opus the story of the emergence of the solo cello in early 18th-century Italy, highlighting the concertante repertoire for solo cello and orchestra in the period shortly after the birth of the concerto itself. The concerto is the genre most emblematic of the emancipation of an instrument. It is the perfect showcase for both the virtuoso agility and expressive depth of the cello. She is accompanied by the Le Consort ensemble orchestra.
Le quattro stagioni
Another recording of The Four Seasons? A year after Concerti per una vita, the Consort orchestra unveils the many facets of an inexhaustible cycle as it continues its exploration of Vivaldi's work. To do so, Théotime Langlois de Swarte has held up a subtle mirror with other works by the red-haired priest. In their own way, they perpetuate the seasons through shared memories and impressions; in the background, Lambranzi's Venetian dances complete this colourful musical tableau!
Concerti per una vita
Vivaldi and the violin concerto? The violin concerto is Vivaldi! Let us move away from the cliché (‘Vivaldi composed the same concerto 500 times’) to understand how the composer, the instrument and the genre are one and the same: this is what Théotime Langlois de Swarte and the musicians of the Consort have set out to achieve. From his early years in Venice to his final moments in Vienna, the Red Priest pushed technical and academic boundaries and tirelessly created new narrative forms: the journey of a lifetime.
