Search - Michel Corrette, Les Voix Humaines :: Corrette: Les Délices de la solitude

Michel Corrette - Les Délices de la solitude, by Les Voix Hu

Zadok_the_Priest | Province of Québec | 04/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Les Voix Humaines, a viola da gamba duo consisting of Margaret Little and Susie Napper, are joined by Sylvain Bergeron at the lute, Mathieu Lussier at the bassoon and Kate van Orden at the baroque bassoon. This is an HIP recording. Here is a short description of the pieces, taken from the ATMA website :



[Les délices de la solitude (The Delights of Solitude) is a group of six sonatas published for the first time around 1739. It was republished in 1766 in a version exclusively for cello. (...) In Le phénix (The Phoenix) that was published in 1738, the bass instruments are invited to change their usual behavior: to leave their solitary haunts for another kind of pleasure, that of shared conversation.]



The arrangements are by Les Voix Humaines. French Baroque music for viols is usually restrained and melancholy, as in Marais and Sainte-Colombe, but Corrette is much more joyful. The arrangements make each sonata sound quite different, with varying numbers of players and instruments, and ensure that you can listen to the whole disc in one sitting without any sense of boredom. A concerto named 'Le Phénix' is added, though not as inventive as the sonatas. The sonics are excellent and the soloists are top-notch. If you are a lover of viol music, or of chamber French Baroque, this album is a must."

Terrific cd

C. Maclennan | NJ USA | 01/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had never heard of this composer but the cd has a variety of early music -- featuring viols and bassoon and other instruments -- which can be comical and fun. Overall a terrific cd!"