Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, remains the longest reigning
monarch in European history. Born on 5th September 1638, he came to
the throne in 1643 and reigned until his death in 1715.
During this time he brought absolute monarchy to its height establishing
a glittering court at Versailles and glorifying the monarchy through the arts,
patronising such
great literary and artistic figures as Jean Baptiste
Moliere, Charles Le Brun, Louis Le Vau, Jules Mansart, and Jean Baptiste Lully.
On the tercentenary of Louis XIV’s death there have been all
year long Château de Versailles
Spectacles designed to conjure up the artistic glory of the Sun King and
helping to revive the magnificent festivals of the Versailles court in the most
beautiful locations in the Château and its Gardens. www.chateauversailles-spectacles.fr/spectacles/2015/louis-xiv-year-shows-chateau-de-versailles
Michel-Richard de
Lalande (1657-1726) became sous-maître
at the royal chapel in 1683, compositeur
de la musique de la chambre in 1685, surintendant
de la musique de la chambre in 1689 and maitre
in 1695 thus establishing himself as one of the most important composers at the
French court. He was the leading composer of the late Baroque grand motet as
well as stage works from which he drew instrumental symphonies including his Symphonies pour les soupers du Roi.
Harmonia Mundi http://store.harmoniamundi.com have
recently released a 4 CD box set in their HM Heritage series of all twelve of
de Lalande’s Symphonies pour les soupers
du Roi recorded in 1990 by La Simphonie du Marais www.simphonie-du-marais.org directed by Hugo Reyne www.simphonie-du-marais.org/qui-sommes-nous/hugo-reyne
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| 4CD HMY 2921337 40 |
With this first-ever complete recording of the legendary Symphonies pour les Soupers du Roy in
1990 Hugo Reyne produced a set of discs as varied as it is comprehensive. It
should be remembered that the term symphony was originally used for concerted
motets, introductory movements to operas (overtures) and sections within arias.
It was only through such composers, such as Sammartini and Haydn, that the
modern symphony was developed. De Lalande’s twelve suites of symphonies consist
of purely instrumental music, music of a dance like character and instrumental
arrangements of vocal music. In these works we find overtures, preludes and airs
alongside dance forms such as sarabandes, passacailles, chaconnes, minuets,
passepieds, loures, gigues, canaries, gavottes, bourées and rigaudes. Hugo
Reyne has retained something of the original nature of some pieces by including
a soprano voice.
Hugo Reyne and La Simphonie du Marais open with the Concert de Trompettes where marshall
drum thunder out in an impressive Prélude
avec les trompettes before taking us through a fine Air pour les mesmes, some lovely woodwind in the Chaconne avec les trompettes, a lively Menuet avec les trompettes and a
concluding Fanfare de trompettes
where woodwind echo the trumpet theme.
After this terrific start comes the first of the suites of Symphonies pour les soupers du Roi. The 1st Suite opens with an Ouverture where La Simphonie du Marais bring some exquisite very
French instrumental sounds. Amongst the many pieces in this suite there are
some particularly fine individual instrumental contributions in the Trio de hautbois before a beautifully
light and poised Air. Throughout
these works Hugo Reyne never misses an opportunity to add colour with castanets
adding to the buoyant Sarabande. Later in this suite a Trio de hautbois brings some lovely sonorities and a lively 4th Air
complete with a tambourine to add colour.
2nd Suite again
opens with an Ouverture that brings
more superb sonorities from this ensemble. There are slower, melancholy moments
such as in the 1st Air, Prélude,
Gracieusement and a lovely gentle swagger in the Chaconne de Villers-Cotterêt where the lovely mellow instrumental
blend is pointed up by castanets. The concluding, lively Passepied is beautifully done.
3rd Suite opens
with a broad, beautifully sonorous 1st Air. Later in this suite bells
rhythmically point up the light and buoyant 2e Air, Gigue and even a piper
appears playing the flûtes à bec et loure
or cornemuse in the remarkable La Loure. There is a leisurely, stately Grande Pièce en D-la-ré, Passacaille (extradite
de l’amour fléchi par la Constance) with lovely textures and which picks up
in tempo with some lovely instrumental details.
The 4th Suite has
an Ouverture (extraite des Fontaines de
Versailles) that has a fine breadth in the opening before gaining a
terrific buoyancy later. Within the remaining pieces there is a vibrant,
colourful Gigue, a beautifully poised
1st Air, a melancholy little Sarabande and buoyant, vibrant 3rd Air with tambourine.
La Simphonie du Marais bring fine string timbres to the Ouverture that opens the 5th Suite before dashing into the 1st
Air with a fine rhythmic pulse. Castanets point up the colourful Chaconne whilst the following Air brings some fine rich, deep string
passages. Also noteworthy is the clarity of texture that Hugo Reyne achieves
with his ensemble such as in the beautifully paced Sarabande. This suite also has the Fantaisie ou Caprice que le Roy demandoit souvent. (Fantasy that the
King often requested) that opens grandly with some wonderful wind textures
before picking up for a brilliantly played section.
The 6th Suite, Airs du Ballet de Flore ou de Trianon consists
of fifteen pieces commencing with a
particularly fine Ouverture that
brings a variety of musical lines that flow around each other. There is a light
textured, fast flowing Bourrée
followed by a Menuet de la Princesse de
Blois where an échelette or xylophone can be heard. The lively Bourrée, Rondeau with drums and tambourine is irresistible.
The 7th Suite brings
a fine flowing Allemande again with a
fine blend of instruments. The beautifully pointed Rondeau is really entertaining with the échelette appearing again. Later
there is a joyful Air de mouvement, Vivement, a lovely Trio de hautbois and a Lentement,
Trio that opens rather wistfully before picking up rhythmically for a
buoyant conclusion.
A beautifully poised Ouverture
opens the 8th Suite before an
equally poised Air grave. There is a 2nd
Air, Vif that is lively and rhythmic with more fine clarity, a Loure en Rondeau that brings a return of
the cornemuse and a Chaconne en
Passacaille that has a lovely flow and fine instrumental details.
The opening Ouverture of
the 9e Suite, Airs du Ballet de
Mélicerte is beautifully shaped before a quite beautiful Prélude pour les Muses. Later drums and
tambourine appear in the fast moving Passepied before a soprano joins for the Petit Air, ‘Pour Aimer’. There is a
stately Grand Air where this band
give the music terrific life and a heavily accented 1st Air des Siamois where some exotic instrumental sounds appear.
The 10th
Suite Air du Ballet de Fées has a broad, fine textured Ouverture with the
soprano joining the later Trio, ‘Dans ces lieux’ followed by a really light textured Gigue.
Later there is a finely woven 2nd Air, Gavotte,
Rondeau, ‘C'est l'amour’, a colourful Saltarelle
and a fast flowing Chaconne with
fine instrumental textures.
Another fine Ouverture
opens the 11th Suite, Airs du Ballet de
la Paix before a Trio, ‘A cette pompe’ brings a gentle swagger.
The Air brings some terrific wind
sonorities and there is a nicely shaped Gigue,
Légèrement and a Symphonie, Trio, "Mais quelle aimable mélodie’ that
has a rather grand opening that quickly leads to some lovely instrumental
passages. The suite concludes with a beautifully blended
Air, Légèrement.
The 12th Suite, dont
les Airs forment le 3e Caprice is rather shorter than the others and opens with a slow dignified Gracieusement
before a flowing 2nd Air mineur. There is a beautifully turned Gigue, Gracieusement before we eventually arrive at the concluding lively
Air vif that takes off, full of light
textures and fine instrumental moments.
La Simphonie du Marais under their director Hugo Reyne are
terrific. They bring this music alive with such stylish performances that bring
fine textures, variety, colour and often some exotic moments, Hugo Reyne
knowing just how to lift these suites to reveal every fine moment.
They receive excellent recorded sound and there are brief
but useful notes that give a general idea of the music and its history.
These performances remain the benchmark. Available from
Amazon at the price of one CD and only taking up the width on a single CD jewel
case, this is a rare bargain.
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