"The pieces presented on this disc share a certain 'chamber' character, in the sense that they were surely composed for domestic use. Such is undoubtedly the case with the suites from the Musikalische Ergötzung published in 1695, where, aside from the difficulties entailed in the ‘scordatura’ writing,everything seems to indicate that they were intended for a public of sophisticated amateurs, likely toexperience great ‘musical delight’ (just as we did!) when performing this music, as the very name of thecollection suggests. The origins of the vocal pieces are less clear, and some of these arias were probablywritten for a specific purpose and for dedicatees known to a small circle of friends, such as the simplesong in praise of someone known as ‘Guter Walther’, who seems to have had a strong temperament, orthe impressive funeral laments (Mein Leben and Wie nichtig?) which are interspersed with moralisingcomments. Others seem to have a more generic meaning, in the tradition of songs to celebrate thearrival of a new season – for example Das Gewitter im Aprilen, which compares the volatility of thecapricious April climate and the constancy of friendship.
"But what links all the works on this recording, whether or not they possess a text, is their ability to conjure up painterly images. We find ourselves surrounded by sound pictures that might well have come from the golden age of Dutch and Flemish art, notably those representing episodes from everyday life. When you listen to the Aria from Partie VI or the Ballet from Partie I, don’t you have the impression that you’re in the midst of the hubbub of the folk festival depicted by Brueghel in The Peasant Wedding (and also seen in the great banquet of La Kermesse héroïque)? Don’t you get the urge to take up your lute like Jan Steen in his self-portrait and accompany yourself singing the last phrase of the Saraband from Partie VI (yes, it’s true, you have to add a text to it, but nothing could be simpler!). Listening to the Saraband of Partie III, don’t you feel the same shivers down your spine and the same doubts that seem to affect the women Vermeer painted reading their letters? And don’t the Aria of Partie V or the Gavotte of the Partie a 4 have the same half-pompous, half-comical character we find in Frans Hals’s portraits of groups of officers?
"All these musical miniatures float by, caressing our ears, like the light, fleeting April clouds that troop past before our eyes: all of a sudden the sky grows overcast and the stormy rain falls before finally giving way to the dazzling blue of a sunlit horizon. An ideal setting for portraits or scenes drawn from life in which those concerned must certainly have recognised themselves, and which nowadays bear precious witness to a bygone age that is still rich in emotions and lovely to behold... and listen to." (Amandine Beyer & Baldomero Barciela. tr. Charles Johnston. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Gli Incogniti, Amandine Beyer, Hans-Jörg Mammel
1. Partie V In C Major, P374: I. Sonata
2. Partie V In C Major, P374: II. Aria
3. Partie V In C Major, P374: III. Treza
4. Partie V In C Major, P374: IV. Ciacona
5. Wie Nichtig? Ach! Wie Flüchtig, P500
6. Partie II In C Minor, P371: I. Sonata
7. Partie II In C Minor, P371: II. Gavotte
8. Partie II In C Minor, P371: III. Treza
9. Partie II In C Minor, P371: IV. Aria
10. Partie II In C Minor, P371: V. Saraband
11. Partie II In C Minor, P371: VI. Gigue
12. Das Gewitter Im Aprilen, P75
13. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: I. Sonata (Adagio)
14. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: II. Aria
15. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: III. Courant
16. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: IV. Gavotte
17. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: V. Saraband
18. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: VI. Gigue
19. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: I. Sonatina
20. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: II. Allemand
21. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: III. Gavott
22. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: IV. Courant
23. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: V. Aria
24. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VI. Saraband
25. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VII. Gigue
26. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VIII. Finale. Adagio
27. Mein Leben, Dessen Creutz Für Mich, P360
28. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: I. Sonata (Allegro)
29. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: II. Allemand
30. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: III. Courant
31. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: IV. Gavotte
32. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: V. Saraband
33. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: VI. Gigue
34. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: I. Sonata
35. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: II. Aria
36. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: III. Courant
37. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: IV. Aria
38. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: V. Ciacona
39. Guter Walther Unser Raths, P180
40. Partie I In F Major, P370a: I. Sonata (Allegro)
41. Partie I In F Major, P370a: II. Allemand
42. Partie I In F Major, P370a: III. Courant
43. Partie I In F Major, P370a: IV. Ballet
44. Partie I In F Major, P370a: V. Saraband
45. Partie I In F Major, P370a: VI. Gigue
46. O Großes Musenliecht, P391
47. Canon & Gigue, P37: I. Canon
48. Canon & Gigue, P37: II. Gigue
mp3/320kbps
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