This second set of Les Pleiades, ‘the collection of Ricercar re-releases’ is again devoted to the German Baroque religious repertoire. + Focusing on the Nativity repertoire, it extends from the early 17th c. to the generation of Bach: Schütz’s Christmas Oratorio, Yuletide cantatas by Christoph Graupner, Scheidt, Selle, Tunder, Lübeck, Buxtehude, Bruhns and more, recorded by world-class artists. + Also in this set one finds the evocation of Nativity scenes, from the Annunciation up to the Presentation in the Temple, as well as the reconstruction of a Lutheran Christmas service.

More than forty years separate Marin Marais' Premier Livre de Pieces de Violes (1686) from the Cinquieme (1725). Despite the novelty of the basso continuo, the First Book is still the work of a composer who had inherited a tradition that developed in France during the 17th century. The Fifth, published a few years before his death, is a moving and perfect testimony to a musical language that was also in it's twilight years. The Second, Third and Fourth books reveal not only the evolution of musical forms but also the ineffable talent that ensured Marais' position as the undisputed master of his art, one that was inextricably linked to the spirit of French music of the Grand Siecle. Marin Marais' Pieces de Viole were recorded complete and first released in stages between 2014 and 2021; they are now issued as a boxed set to mark Francois Joubert-Caillet's appointment this year as professor at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.

Although named in every history of music as an important composer and as one of the creators of the Italian madrigal, principally known for the madrigal Il bianco e dolce cigno and even more so by an incorrectly attributed Ave Maria that amateur choirs have been performing since the Romantic period, Jacques Arcadelt has not yet gained the position that he deserves in the musical world of today. He was in the service of the Medici, the papacy and the kings of France; he could hardly have had a more impressive career. The recording sessions for this set created a real emotional shock on several occasions: we were convinced that Jacques Arcadelt was a true genius and it was easy to understand why his contemporaries regarded him as truly exceptional.

After exploring the evolution of Italian and French music in the seventeenth century, Jerôme Lejeune devotes a new volume in his History of Early Music to Germany. During this century in which the Lutheran musical tradition developed further, Germany lived through a particularly enthralling period, bringing the musical world a highly original language, but also assimilating Italian and French models with talent and imagination; all of this unquestionably prepared the way that leads to Johann Sebastian Bach. As in the other volumes of this collection, the recorded examples are selections taken from the works that are the most representative of their period. The Ricercar catalogue is particularly well-provided with examples of German music of the seventeenth century.

Classical Music

It is now twenty years ago that Henri Ledroit left us. He had been one of the first artists to have faith in the grand enterprise that Ricercar launched in 1980; the recordings that we then took such great delight in making now enshrine priceless memories of him and his art. Henri Ledroit personified the both the joy of singing and the intelligent delivery of the text; these qualities, combined with his richly warm and yet so delicate and fragile voice, created his magic. This recording -- our 2009 catalogue is included with it -- is devoted in the main to repertoire that is indeed seldom performed: the cantatas and airs de cour by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. We are now proud to present it for re-release, accompanied by an introductory text by Catherine Cessac. The recording has been completed with several sacred compositions that were amongst Henri Ledroit's first recordings. This compilation also marks the re-release of the complete recordings made by this wonderful musician. This recording offers the listener the pleasure of rediscovering the unique moments of emotion that Henri Ledroit shared with such generosity with all who had the pleasure of hearing him. These same emotions are still alive today: those that he brought to us and those that we experienced as we listened to him.

Following the two volumes of the Guide des Instruments, RICERCAR goes further into the knowledge of several instruments and their specific repertoire. It was in 1817 that the instrument maker Halary invented this instrument whose low register prefigures the tuba. Integrated into the orchestra by Berlioz, the ophicleide was also used in church to accompany the plainchant and quite present in military bands. But it also benefitted from a solo repertoire in the concerto genre as well as in chamber music. Patrick Wibart impresses with his total mastery of the instrument and the flexibility of his playing.

Classical Music

The system of valves that allowed brass instruments to employ all the notes of the chromatic scale was developed between 1810 and 1820. Players of the natural horn, however, were not completely convinced, judging that the valves removed the characteristic timbre of each key and therefore standardized the instrument’s sound. This dispute was particularly intense in France, where virtuoso horn players such as Dauprat and Gallay never ceased to put forward their arguments in favor of the natural horn. This truly titanic struggle is the basis of this recording, with works that lead up to the first pieces to be composed for valve horn. Born in 1956, Claude Maury studied music at the Royal Conservatory of Mons, where he obtained the highest distinctions in modern horn and chamber music. He then perfected his skills with Francis Orval, Vandriessche André, Michel Garcin-Marrou and Hermann Baumann. In 1981 he won the competition for natural horn Gallay in Perpignan and, in 1984, won another international competition for natural horn in Bad Harzburg, Germany. In 1985, he left the Orchestra of Radio Télévision Belge to devote himself almost exclusively to the practice of ancient horns.

Classical Music

Haydn's trios are irresistible, and the artists have done everything to bring them to life.

The baryton is almost exclusively associated with Joseph Haydn. It was a much older instrument, though. Its origins go back as far as the early 17th century. In his liner-notes Jérôme Lejeune states that the descriptions of the instrument in its early stages widely differ and often have not that much in common with the baryton as we know it from Haydn's time. In the 18th century it was especially popular in southern Germany and Austria. Because Haydn's output for the baryton is so large, not that much is known about other composers' works for the instrument. What is known is that at least Johann Joseph Fux and Attilio Ariosti wrote arias with an obbligato part for the baryton.

Leopold Mozart gave this description in his Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (1756): "This instrument has, like the gamba, six or seven strings. The neck is very wide, with the back surface hollowed out and open, under which run nine or ten brass and steel strings. These are plucked with the thumb, so that in fact whilst the main melodic line is played with the bow on the gut strings strung on the front of the instrument, the thumb simultaneously plays the bass line by plucking the strings under the neck. It is for this reason that the pieces need to be specifically composed. It is, incidentally, one of the most graceful of instruments." The German composer and author Friedrich August Weber (1753-1806) described the sound as a combination of viola da gamba and harp and wrote that its sound moved him to tears.

There is some difference of opinion about the abilities of Haydn's employer. Those are generally considered rather limited. But Jérôme Lejeune believes one shouldn't underestimate his skills. "Haydn does not hesitate to demand pizzicato playing of the sympathetic strings on a regular basis. The player is frequently required to play a melody line on the bowed strings and to accompany it with pizzicato notes; an excellent command of the instrument is clearly required".

Nikolaus continuously urged Haydn to compose music which he could play at his beloved instrument. The result is a huge corpus of more than 160 pieces for or with baryton. The largest part of this output comprises 126 trios for baryton, viola - or violin in a handful of trios - and cello. Almost all of them are in three movements: a slow movement, a fast movement and a menuet, mostly in that order. But Haydn would not be Haydn if he hadn't changed the order of movements now and then. Because of their character the trios rank among the genre of the divertimento. That was also their function: Prince Nikolaus played them for his own entertainment. That doesn't mean Haydn sticks to what one may expect from a divertimento. The slow movements are often quite expressive. And although the large majority of the trios are written in D, G or A, Haydn also has written some trios in other keys, even some in the minor, like the Trio in b minor (H XI,96). As a result it has a considerably darker colour than most trios and is the most 'serious' piece of this disc.

The artists have made a nice and imaginative choice from Haydn's large output. Fortunately they have largely avoided the most frequently recorded trios. Haydn's complete oeuvre with baryton has been recorded by the Esterházy Ensemble (Brilliant Classics). As good as Haydn's music and these performances are, many will find this too much of a good thing. For them this disc offers an excellent alternative. The playing is technically immaculate, and the interpretation goes to the heart of Haydn's music. There is no lack of expression in the slow movements, whereas the fast movements are playful and explore Haydn's subtleties. Although the recording was made in a church, it has the right atmosphere. The balance within the ensemble is optimal.

In the English translation of the liner notes Jérôme Lejeune writes about the Trio No. 107 which is remarkably written for baryton solo. "We have of course not been able to resist the temptation to add it to our programme". Apparently the artists had second thoughts: the trio has not been included, and the whole passage from the liner-notes is absent in the original French version and in the German translation. Maybe on a later disc?

Let's enjoy what is on offer here. Haydn's trios are irresistible, and the artists have done everything to bring them to life.

-- Johan van Veen, MusicWeb International

Henri Du Mont first made provision for the performance of a number of his compositions by women's voices in his Cantica Sacra (1652) and thus made it possible for these works to be sung in convents. This recording includes not only the motets intended for these institutions but also one of the Messes Royales in plainsong and several organ pieces from his Meslanges composed for the Dames religieuses qui touchent l'orgue. This recording is the second in a systematic exploration of the several collections of music by Henry du Mont that were published in Paris. The first recording in this series was devoted to the Cantica Sacra and was released in 2010 to mark the 400th anniversary of the composer's birth.

Only a few years were needed before Grétry became one of the most prominent personalities of the French musical world. The successes that he booked after his first opéra comique Le Huron (1769) won him the high esteem and personal friendship of the Dauphine, after which the Court also opened its doors to him and several of his works were performed there in succession. Official confirmation of his status came in 1773, when Louis XV and his court commissioned him to write a large-scale work for a special occasion: this was to be Céphale et Procris.

Classical Music

Selection includes a reading of the homage to Dufay and Binchois from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of the homage to the female form from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of 'Love according to the Champion' from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of 'Love according to Brief Counsel' from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of the homage to Christine de Pizan from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of Malebouche's attack from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of the prologue from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".

Compiled from pieces that were clearly composed much earlier as well as from more recent works, the Deuxième Livre pays homage to its two masters and calls for tonalities that it had not yet employed; it evokes the past and the great lutenists of that time with the Pavane and yet also contains important innovations. It is truly a transitional work: published at the very dawn of the century, it opened the doors to the important stylistic changes that French music would undergo during the Age of Enlightenment. After studying the recorder, piano and double bass, François Joubert-Caillet studied the viola da gamba with Paolo Pandolfo at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where he equally studied baroque improvisation with Rudolf Lutz. He was awarded First Prize as well as the Public's Award at the Bruges International Chamber Music competition. François Joubert-Caillet has played with numerous formations with whom he has recorded for the labels Ricercar, Harmonia Mundi, Ambronay, K617, ZigZag Territoires, Arcana, Winter&Winter, Aparté, Glossa, Sony, Naïve, etc. François Joubert-Caillet leads L'Acheron with which he performs in several formations, in particular the viol consort.

Of those composers who held the highest positions at St Mark's basilica in Venice, Natale Monferrato (1610-85) is manifestly one of the most thoroughly forgotten nowadays. After working with the leading musicians of this prestigious institution, he succeeded Francesco Cavalli as maestro di cappella in 1676. His output, consisting exclusively of sacred music, includes some twenty collections published between 1647 and 1681. Although he wrote a great deal of polyphonic music, he also produced three collections of Motetti a voce sola. Most unusually, these three books accord an important place to compositions for the often neglected alto voice. They are so voluminous that only the Libro Terzo of 1666 was used for this recording. The motets are divided into varied and contrasted sections that range from the spirit of recitative to that of the aria, using very diverse forms in a manner that is bound to remind us of the models of opera as it developed in Venice from 1637 onwards. This world premiere recording blazes the trail for discovery of an undeservedly neglected composer.

HOLBORNE The Fruit of Love • François Joubert-Caillet (vl, cond); L’Achéron • RICERCAR 339 (69:09)


In his day, Anthony Holborne (c. 1545–1602) was a highly respected composer and instrumentalist. His patrons included Robert Cecil, the first Earl of Salisbury; Mary Sidney, Countess Pembroke; and Elizabeth I. He wrote dedicatory introductions to publications by Thomas Morley and Giles Farnaby, and Dowland dedicated his song I saw my lady weep to him. Upon Holborne’s death he was quickly forgotten, as were many of his contemporaries, only to experience a considerable revival in the 20th century. Today his music is often recorded in excerpt as part of larger collections, but occasionally in releases devoted entirely to his works.


One of Holborne’s pieces, The Fairie Round , was part of the so-called Voyager Golden Records sent with space probes Voyagers 1 and 2, to represent the cultural achievements of humanity. It was part of the composer’s 1599 publication Pavans, Galliards, Almains, and other short Aeirs both grave and light, in five parts, for Viols, Violins, or other Musicall Winde Instruments . This was to be his only published music not written for solo plucked instruments and, at a total of 65 dances, a very large collection for its time and place. Many of the works are given titles, some clearly drawn from songs, but 53 are either pavans or galliards—the majority of these in paired association. The music thus alternates between the more stately and the more lively, though Holborne’s excellent five-part writing makes it clear these pieces were intended more for listening pleasure than actual dancing.


Publishers of the day realized they could make decent money off the sale of music to a thriving middle and upper class, at a time when music-making was both an important element of private entertainment and a marketable skill to attract good marriages. To maximize sales, composers often indicated that their works could be performed by a wide range of instruments. Holborne’s title above indicates as much, and François Joubert-Caillet takes his cue from this. L’Achéron opts here for a traditional viol consort, abetted by a pair of musicians on plucked string instruments that Holborne was known to specialize in: the lute, cittern, and bandora. Finally, they’ve included the very occasional use of a virginal and ottavino (small spinet). While keyboards aren’t mentioned by Holborne, they are in other sources of the period, and they’re deployed with discretion—most obviously, and to excellent effect, as a solo in the opening statement of Paradizo —and a combination of plucked instruments and ottavino alone perform an unnamed Almain of obviously Italianate origin.


Mention of this brings to mind that other recordings prefer different arrangements. Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI (Alia Vox 9813) give a greater role to lutes, and Pedro Estevan adds a bit of light percussion in such pieces as The Honie-Suckle . Skip Sempé and Capriccio Stravagante (Paradizo 1) opt to mix viols and solo flute, with generally good results. I would place L’Achéron squarely between these two as a balance of dance and abstract listening. Savall clearly wishes to emphasize the dance aspect of Holborne’s music, while Sempé focuses less on rhythms than on rich textures and, at times, almost Romanticized dynamics in the phrasing. Joubert-Caillet is a bit slower than either in many instances, but with more forward impetus than Sempé.


Those three versions are my current favorites; and if I had to choose, this would be my preferred one, with close, richly textured sound. But only by a hair over Savall; so if you have that one, you’re probably good to go. If not, however, I strongly recommend this recording.


FANFARE: Barry Brenesal

"The father of the symphony"; "bard of the Revolution": these two phrases sufficed to describe Gossec from the beginning of the 19th century onwards and created a reputation for him that musicographers and music historians of the following century made almost unalterable. Gossec had, however, always been interested in the operatic stage, as can be seen from his works in the more modern genre of opéra comique as well as in the more traditional tragédie en musique. Appointed to provide music for the largest musical institutions of his time, Gossec created more than twenty theatrical works; these enjoyed varying degrees of success but nonetheless reveal a dramatic composer of the first water. They were inspired by various sources, the diversity of which can be seen by their titles: Le Périgourdin, Le Tonnelier, Le Faux Lord, Les Pêcheurs, Toinon & Toinette, Le Double Déguisement (opéra comique), Alexis & Daphné, Philémon & Baucis, La Fête de Village (operas in one act), Berthe, Rosine ou l'Épouse abandonnée (opera semiseria), Les Scythes enchaînés (an addition to Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride), Les Petits Riens, Mirza (ballets in collaboration with Gardel and Noverre), intermezzi for Racine's Athalie and, when the moment arrived, operas of the Revolution such as L'Offrande à la Liberté and Le Triomphe de la République. His operatic masterpieces, however, are indisputably the two tragédies lyriques Sabinus (1773) and Thésée (1782). Thanks to a superb cast and the talent of Guy Van Waas in this repertoire, Gossec's tragedy here reveals its full dramatic power.

Du Mont: Motets à voix seule - Hayne: Requiem pour Marie de

Hernando de Cabezón, the son of the renowned organist Antonio de Cabezón, published a vast anthology of his father's compositions under the title of Obras de Musica para tecla, arpa y vihuela. For keyboard and plucked string instruments, these pieces include works in every genre of the period, both sacred and secular, and perfectly written for four, five or six parts. In accordance with a performance practice common from the time of the Renaissance onwards, the musicians of Doulce Mémoire divide the works' polyphonic lines between the instruments of the ensemble. They decided to choose only secular works, these being ornamented pieces based on various songs and madrigals, of which Suzanne un jour and Anchor che col partire were amongst the most popular of the Renaissance period. Each part of these works has its own individual expression; our realisation of them also benefits from even larger powers of expression and the virtuoso writing that is tailored to each separate part. The original works on which the ornamented versions are based are also recorded here, sung by Clara Coutouly with a delightful accompaniment of plucked string instruments. This release has been made possible by a collaboration with the Festival de Musique in Maguelone, where Doulce Mémoire will perform this programme on 6 June 2013.

Classical Music

RICERCAR could not miss Willaert's anniversary... This recording of Willaert's secular repertoire gives us a very different vision of his work, compared to his religious music well illustrated by the Vespro della Beata Vergine recording (RIC 325). Here, we can appreciate a musician singing love with sweetness, describing pleasures of the life with a little smile, even sometimes with a bit of salacity. Recorded by Romanesque in 1994, this CD can be listened to with a lot of pleasure. No competition in the market for this recording!

More than any others of the time, the works of Johannes Ockeghem are considered to have marked the summit of the entire development of polyphonic structures during the Middle Ages. His works, although few in number, are supreme examples of creative thought. An undisputed master of his musical materials, certain of his Masses are structured around his own reflections on the art of composition. This is the case with the Missa Mi-mi: its title comes from the initial motive in the bass line, this consisting of the notes E and A which, in the system of solmisation in use at that time, can be read as mi-mi. Together with a Gregorian proprium, it is integrated here into the Office for Maundy Thursday. Cappella Pratensis, founded in 1987, mainly sings music from the period between 1450 and 1600. During that time, the polyphonic Franco-Flemish composers such as Josquin Desprez, Jean Mouton, Pierre de La Rue Jacob Clemens non Papa, Johannes Ockeghem and Guillaume Dufay were world leaders. Cappella presents ongoing special programs and original designs.