This is a most delightful recital of early-18th-century French
Baroque chamber music. The works have been carefully chosen and comprise
solos as well as trios. Although some of the works will be relatively
unfamiliar to listeners (particularly the Dornel and Francoeur), there
are still more of similar calibre waiting to be recorded. This single
CD-length programme – only available as a download – could thus easily
be added to, an observation prompted by the high standard of playing
heard here.
Fantasticus was formed specifically to explore the excesses,
shall we say, inherent in the Baroque style and present in some of the
chamber music of the late 17th and 18th centuries, as well as to
experiment with the limits of associated performing practices. Each
member of the trio is a polished period player. Their performances are
confident, stylish, beautifully articulated and convey a sense of
genuine rapport. This is only their second release, so we have much to
look forward to.
All of the composers represented here were equally well known as fine
performers in their day. They held posts at the Paris Opéra and at the
courts of Louis XIV and XV. The intimate scale of the music on this disc
belongs to the salons where French aristocrats indulged themselves and
their friends with private performances of virtuoso works, music that
was nearly always new and had a certain edge.
Originally a literary genre, portraiture in music was subsequently
explored by composers such as Couperin, Marais and Rameau. This recording includes three portraits of the Forqueray family: the Dornel
Sonata undoubtedly celebrates Antoine’s penchant for playing Italian
violin sonatas on the viol; the Rameau seems more likely to portray
Antoine’s son and collaborator; and the mesmerising Duphly most
certainly personifies the harpsichordist Marie-Rose Dubois, who was
married to the son, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine. Definitely a collector’s
item. (Julie Anne Sadie / Gramophone)
