Sainte-Colombe · Marin Marais
Myriam Rignol, Mathilde Vialle
79:39
Château de Versailles Spectacles CVS043
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Pretty much everything everything makes this offering from Versailles highly desirable: if EMR still used stars I might even give it five! The repertoire and sonorities are sublime (try Marais’ Tombeau de Mr Méliton – played here by the two bass viols with theorbo); the performances are often exceptional; the essay (French, English and German) fluent and interesting; the photographs were taken in the Hall of Mirrors; and there are nearly 80 minutes of music. The only negative element is the occasional unidiomatic phrase in the translated biographies.
I recognise that a recital on low pitched instruments may not be to all tastes, but it really isn’t all lugubrious: the final Couplets de Folies (Marais) are positively frivolous. Give it a go!
David Hansell