This could have been just another viol consort disc, but instead it manages to offer some unique and worthwhile perspectives on works by the Couperins--Louis, François, and Armand-Louis--and throws in some very attractive pieces by Jacques Duphly, Marin Marais, Louis-Antoine Dornel, Pierre Dumage, and Michel Corrette. Don't worry if most of these names aren't familiar: the music, some presented in its original form, the rest in artful arrangements by members of the early music ensemble Charivari Agréable ("pleasant tumult"), is eminently listenable and musically satisfying. The Couperins composed mostly for organ and harpsichord, and several of the works here are arranged or adapted from keyboard pieces, most notably François' "Les barricades mistérieuses", whose sensuous, flowing, suspension-laden lines prove well-suited to a solo theorbo. The bass viol also figures prominently--and unusually--in Corrette's Le Phénix, a concerto for four bass viols, and in François Couperin's La Sultane (for two bass viols), the composer's "attempt" to write a piece in the style of Corelli. Perhaps the most striking of all the works on this program are two by Duphly, "La Madin" and "La Casaubon". Originally for keyboard, the composer also included violin accompaniments; but in this version, harpsichordist Kah-Ming Ng has created settings for two solo treble viols and keyboard that are so thoroughly engaging that you'll likely want an immediate repeat performance.

The seven performers from the UK-based Charivari Agréable are experienced early music practitioners who have made their mark particularly in performances and recordings of French baroque music. They certainly have a knack for finding appropriate repertoire and, where useful or necessary, adapting it for their own style and instrumentation--a practice fully consistent with that of 17th and 18th century musicians. The sound is bright and resonant, wanting only a bit more warmth. This is an intelligently created and expertly played program that shouldn't be overlooked by fans of Baroque instrumental chamber music.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

I had the good fortune, last week, to see someone buy this CD in my local music shop. She studied the back of it for some time, scratched her head, and tentatively handed over her credit card to pay for it. The man at the counter said. “You won’t regret this; it is lovely,” to which the lady buying it responded, “I hope so.” I hoped so, too: It promises so much with that glossy front cover.

It is quite a comprehensive anthology of overtures. There are 17 of them in total. The range of composers is also satisfying, from Albioni to Ziani. Music ranges from the outré and the slapstick, to the coy and simple. Alexander Pope, in his large epic The Dunciad, once called Italian opera a “harlot form, with mincing step and languid eye,” which is a witticism amply revealed here in the range of aural tricks. As overtures, they are designed to arrest, and like Pope’s “harlot form” the overture has enough to cover the subject, but little enough to remain interesting. We flit between composers, works, time periods, tones, methodologies, keys and characters throughout the course of CD, and it is a genuine pleasure to be thrown hither and thither. A highlight, for me, was Bononcini’s sad and threatening Cefalo, which is full of a cello player’s sense of darkness.

Great credit has to go to Charivari Agréable, the group whose technical proficiency has given life to a series of very obscure opera overtures. This CD is a worthy companion piece to other opera anthologies, both popular and obscure, since it nestles happily in the genre of “introductory” rather than “exhaustive”: an intention highlighted by the obvious fun the orchestra has with its solo moments and general camaraderie. As a window into the period, it makes one realise just how formulaic and repetitive the vogue for Italian opera could be, but it is also refreshingly representative of the variety and nuances composers could inject into the form. It is a confusing collection, in many ways: Scarlatti, Ariosti, Bononcini, Pasquini, and Ziani on one CD is a little baffling. But, I suggest, that is irrelevant, and that the CD is satisfying regardless.

– Dan Sperrin, Fanfare [5-6/2015]