Les Ages du Monde

After highly acclaimed recordings of English music for violin ensemble, notably those of Christopher Simpson, Henry Purcell and William Byrd (BIS2663), the Chelys Consort now presents a programme that explores the music that would have been played in 16th and 17th century France. The works presented here include arrangements and fantasies on popular songs, dances and a suite, and showcase the extreme versatility of the viola da gamba, which could adapt to all musical genres, solo or in a group. Although the heyday of this instrument in France was between the mid-17th and mid-18th centuries - represented here by works of Charpentier, Metru and Lully - the programme also focuses on earlier compositions, including dances and fantasies by Caroubel, Le Jeune, Moulinie, Du Caurroy, Louis Couperin and Du Mont. Finally, the programme also includes three pieces for solo guitar by Francois Campion, performed by guest musician James Akers. These pieces remind us that the baroque guitar, already visible in paintings by Vermeer and Watteau, would replace the lute as the most widely used musical instrument for domestic use. A programme that emphasises elegance, refined melancholy, beautiful sounds and a subtle dialogue between the different instruments.