Forqueray

"No one has surpassed Marais, only one has equalled him, namely the famous Forqueray": with these words a contemporary praised in 1752 one of the last great virtuosos of the viola da gamba. The world of the Forquerays, known for its difficult and technically demanding music, is nonetheless immensely rich: the works of his father Antoine, his son Jean-Baptiste and his cousin Nicolas-Gilles reveal a venerable family whose grace and genius were a constant source of inspiration. The viola da gamba pieces of this Forqueray family are sometimes proud, even bellicose, sometimes deeply tender and take us on a flight of passionate expressions whose liveliness is only matched by their intensity. Myriam Rignol, as a distant granddaughter, provides us in this complete recording with a powerful tribute to these will-o'-the-wisps of 18th-century chamber music, which could be nothing but virtuosic.