Composer: Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Performer: Les Agrémens, Etienne Debaisieux, Jean-Marie Marchal, Les Dominos, Luc Terrieux, Julie Calbete, Caroline Weynants, Amélie Renglet, Mathilde Sevrin
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Ricercar
Catalogue: RIC338
Release: 2013
Size: 1.28 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Pour un reposoir, H. 508
01. I. Ouverture
02. II. Tantum ergo
03. III. Tantum ergo (Gregorian)
04. IV. Fugue
05. V. Genitori (Gregorian)
06. VI. Amen
07. VII. Allemande grave
08. Chantons je vous en prie
Noëls sur les instruments, H. 531, 534
09. Les Bourgeois de Châtre (H. 534/1)
10. Ô créateur (H. 531/1)
11. Vous qui désirez sans fin (H. 531/3)
12. Laissez paîtres vos bêtes (H. 531/2)
13. A la venue de Noël
14. Joseph est bien marié
Noëls sur les instruments, H. 531, 534
15. Or nous dites Marie (H. 534/4)
16. Á la venue de Noël (H. 534/5)
17. Une jeune pucelle (H. 534/6)
18. Joseph est bien marié (H. 534/3)
19. Où s’en vont ces gais bergers (H. 534/2)
20. Une jeune pucelle
Noëls sur les instruments, H. 531, 534
21. Les bourgeois de Châtre (H. 534/7)
Sonate à huit, H. 548
22. I. Grave
23. II. Récit de la viole seule – Sarabande
24. III. Récit de la basse de violon – Bourrée
25. IV. Gavotte – Gigue – Passacaille – Chaconne
The instrumental works of Marc-Antoine Charpentier are familiar to very few people. A large number of them were composed for use in churches, the most famous of these being the Messe pour plusieurs instruments au lieu des orgues that has already been recorded by Jean Tubéry and La Fenice for Ricercar (RIC245).
Charpentier composed the Sonate à huit around 1685, at a time when various private musical societies were exploring the Italian sonata style. Charpentier discovered this style at the same time as François Couperin, who also set about composing sonatas in the Italian style. Couperin’s sonatas were recorded splendidly last year by Les Dominos for Ricercar (RIC 330); the recording was praised highly by the musical press, being awarded 5 Diapasons and an FFFF by Telerama. Charpentier’s Sonate à huit blends the Italian style with the French suite of dances and as such is one of the masterpieces of instrumental music of the French baroque. The symphonies Pour un Reposoir were intended to accompany an outdoor procession, an organ naturally not being available.
The greater part of the CD, however, is taken up by the Noëls pour les Instruments which Charpentier set for instrumental ensemble and organ. Our interpretation of this work is based on the original manuscript and respects the marked instrumentation as well as Charpentier’s own specifications for organ registrations. We have also recorded the original versions of the above-mentioned Christmas carols, complete with their many verses as they appeared in French collections published at the beginning of the 18th century. This recording of Christmas music can be enjoyed throughout the year!