In his Musick’s Monument of 1676, Thomas Mace described in great detail numerous aspects of contemporary musical life in London. This volume evokes all the characteristics of English music, going back to the most glorious years of the Renaissance, with a particular emphasis on the repertory written for consort of viols. While his writings describe the performing practices of the time, they also provide invaluable information on instrument making, which has enabled L’Achéron to build a ‘set’ of six viols following Mace’s indications. For this new project of English music, the ensemble inaugurates a new virginal and an organ made in accordance with the famous theorist’s specifications. The programme comprises fantasias, ayres and dances by composers who brought this viol consort tradition to its peak, including Alfonso Ferrabosco, John Ward, William White, Thomas Lupo, Richard Dering, Giovanni Coperario, William Lawes, John Jenkins and Christopher Simpson.

The Pièces en Trio enable us to see a totally different side of Marin Marais’ work; he is no longer writing for himself and his own bass viol, but rather for his colleagues, the musicians of the Chambre du Roi. Marais opened the gates to a new instrumental genre in France with this collection in 1692. Ricercar, to seek, has been the underlying motto of the Ricercar Consort ever since its foundation. It was in 1985, with J. S. Bach’s Musical Offering, that the ensemble made its first concert tour, having already acquired a solid international reputation with its recordings, notably in German Baroque cantatas and instrumental music. Today, under the direction of Philippe Pierlot, the Ricercar Consort continues to explore the Baroque repertoire, from chamber music to opera and oratorio, and to enthrall music-lovers with performances that are both profound and rigorous.

Classical Music

Jean-Marie Leclair's violin sonatas were published in four volumes between 1723 and 1743. David Plantier here presents a selection of sonatas from the final three opus numbers of the collection. The consistent quality of Leclair's forty-eight sonatas, collected in four volumes, is admirable, whilst the collection as a whole is a monumental contribution to the repertoire and to posterity; few of Leclair's followers were able to combine innovation in violin technique and wealth of inspiration with so much talent. Leclair's taste, refinement, skill and refusal of all artifice enabled him to make his mark not merely on his own time but on the history of music as a whole.

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Classical Music

This new release presents the complete works of mid-17th century composer Matthias Weckman. This exhaustive 5-disc set is being released in honor of the 400th anniversary of the composer’s death. A master of all genres, his sonatas, organ music, and harpsichord pieces are all masterful. The ensembles performing these works include the Ricercar Consort, La Fenice, and Siebe Henstra.

Classical Music

Florence Malgoire’s ensemble Les Dominos pays tribute to Jean-Philippe Rameau in the 250th year since his death with very rarely played repertoire. + These Concerts de Monsieur Rameau are, in fact, transcriptions in six parts of the Pièces de Clavecin en Concert that Rameau had conceived at the outset from his harpsichord pieces with accompaniment by violin or flute and bass viol. + The original adaptations by M. Decroix (1768) are quite enigmatic, and Les Dominos’ reading of it combines the strings with two emblematic instruments of Rameau’s orchestra: flutes and bassoon.

Classical Music

A surprising amount of chamber music is to be found amongst the surviving works of Johann Sebastian Bach’s eldest son. Above all else, it is music at its most intimate, for it seems to have been composed primarily for the enjoyment of the players themselves. Ricercar, to seek, has been the underlying motto of the Ricercar Consort ever since its foundation. It was in 1985, with J. S. Bach’s Musical Offering, that the ensemble made its first concert tour, having already acquired a solid international reputation with its recordings, notably in German Baroque cantatas and instrumental music. Today, under the direction of Philippe Pierlot, the Ricercar Consort continues to explore the Baroque repertoire, from chamber music to opera and oratorio, and to enthrall music-lovers with performances that are both profound and rigorous.

Classical Music