The King’s Playlist
Ensemble Molière
rec. 2023, National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, York, UK
Linn CKD738 [50]
Music played a major role at the court of Louis XIV, from the moment he arose until the time he went to bed. Some of it had a public character; for instance, the music played during the meal. Other music was played in the private rooms of the king, such as during the ceremony of going to bed. The repertoire was varied, from chamber music to orchestral music, from motets during mass to opera. The discography includes several recordings which aim to demonstrate the main aspects of music life at the court. Recently, I reviewed such a recording here, which focuses on wind instruments. The present disc is more intimate in its line-up: transverse flute, violin, bassoon, viola da gamba and harpsichord. Those were the instruments most likely involved in playing music late at night, when the king was preparing to go to bed.
The composers represented in the programme were nearly all connected to the court in one way or another, but the programme opens with a piece by the exception: Marc-Antoine Charpentier had never a court position, which was largely due to Jean-Baptiste Lully, who was engaged by Louis XIV to create a French opera, as an alternative to the Italian opera, which had conquered a large part of Europe. Lully must have recognized Charpentier’s great talent and was probably afraid of the competition. Ironically, today Charpentier’s music is probably both more frequently performed than Lully’s and even rated more highly.
Lully is represented with an instrumental piece from his opera Phaëton, one of many works for the stage, which are the best-known part of his œuvre. Obviously, this piece was intended for orchestral performance. It is one of several items in the programme that are played in a chamber music line-up, and arranged for the ensemble’s instruments by its harpsichordist, Satoko Doi-Luck.
François Couperin’s career at the court started in 1693 as organiste du roi and he was soon given the task teaching the harpsichord to several members of the royal family. In 1717, two years after the death of Louis XIV, he succeeded Jean-Henry d’Anglebert as king’s harpsichordist. The four Concerts Royaux reflect his ideals of the goûts réunis, the mixture of the French and the Italian styles. The line-up is largely left to the discretion of the performers, which explains why the many recordings of these works are so different. Here the air tendre starts as a solo for harpsichord, which is then joined by the viola da gamba. The ensuing air contrefugué is played by violin, bassoon and harpsichord.
Nearly everything in courtly life had a representative aspect. Louis XIV’s meals were mostly attended by guests, which was a good reason to display the power and splendour of the monarchy. This was emphasized by music of high calibre, for which Michel-Richard de Lalande was responsible. He took pieces from his stage works and brought them together in a number of suites of symphonies pour le souper du Roy. Again, this is music to be played by a larger ensemble, but the arrangement performed here, shows that it can make a good impression in a smaller line-up, too.
The Ballet Royal de la Nuict is an example of music for a public occasion. It was performed in February 1653, with the intention of presenting Louis XIV as the new monarch. He himself participated in it as a dancer, embodying Apollo, the Sun King. The music was written by some of the main composers of the time, such as Michel Lambert, Jean-Baptiste Boësset and Jean de Cambefort. The last is represented with a récit de la nuit for viola da gamba and basso continuo. Not all the composers of the ballet music are known; here, we get two anonymous pieces, again arranged for the ensemble.
The programme ends with music written for performance during the bed-time, for which Marin Marais, the greatest viola da gamba virtuoso of his time, composed a collection of trios. Again, the line-up is left to the performers. Given the time when they were played, a performance with flute, violin and viola da gamba is most appropriate. In the recording I mentioned above, some loud wind instruments are used, which seems a little out of place.
According to the notes, “Ensemble Molière were selected as the first ever BBC Radio 3 New Generation Baroque Ensemble for two years from October 2021, in partnership with BBC Radio 3, the National Centre for Early Music and the Royal College of Music”. This has borne fruit, as this disc shows. This is the ensemble’s first recording, and it is a promising debut. The name of the ensemble suggests that French music takes an important place in its activities, and the performances here demonstrate that they have a good feeling for the French style. They have understood that elegance and restraint were two important hallmarks of music performed at Louis’s court. This is an entertaining disc, but unfortunately a little short. I am curious to see how this ensemble is going to develop. It would be nice if it were to turn its attention to lesser-known repertoire. Just an example: Marais’s trios would be a good choice, as they are not unknown, but still not that often played. There is also quite a lot of music from the first half of the 18th century that is still unknown. This ensemble seems to have all the qualities to explore it successfully.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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Contents
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704)
Les Arts Florissants (H 487): Ouverture
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687)
Phaëton (LWV 61): Premier et deuxième air
François Couperin (1668-1733)
Deuxième Concert Royal in D
Michel-Richard de Lalande (1657-162)
Symphonies pour le Souper du Roy (excerpts)
[Ballet Royal de la Nuict]
anon
Ouverture
Jean de Cambefort (c1605-1661)
Récit de la Nuit: ‘Languissante clarté, cachez-vous dessous l’onde’
anon
Le Roy représentant le Soleil levant
Marin Marais (1656-1728)
Suite in g minor (excerpts)
Ensemble Molière:
Flavia Hirte (transverse flute), Alice Earll (violin), Kate Conway (viola da gamba), Catriona McDermid (bassoon), Satoko Doi-Luck (harpsichord)
