Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Destinées (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:08:03 minutes | 2,49 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alpha Classics
Destined to be musicians? The female composers to whom Baroque violinist Sophie de Bardonnèche pays tribute enjoyed very different fates: while the name Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729) continued to be remembered, who knows Mlle Duval (born around 1718), the second woman to have a work presented at the Paris Opéra and nicknamed ‘la Légende’ in her time? Her opera-ballet, Les Génies, remains a testament to her great mastery. Then there were Anne-Madeleine Guesdon de Presles and Élisabeth-Louise Pellecier, composers married to composers – the latter signed her works with the name of her husband, Papavoine… Others found it easier to achieve the limelight because they were aristocrats, like Mlle de Menetou (1679-1745). No fewer than ten female composers are brought back to life in this programme of sonatas, overtures and dances devised by Sophie de Bardonnèche, a founder member of Le Consort, who is accompanied on her first solo album by her partners Lucile Boulanger and Justin Taylor.
The feminist movements of our time have seen a proliferation of speeches aimed at reclaiming the great female figures who have been erased from history. The breadth of the movement can be seen in the way it cuts across all disciplines – politics, science, education… and of course the art world. When it comes to music, the trend seems to be taking hold. And while we may sometimes deplore the abundance of albums that have more to do with opportunistic marketing than an authentic artistic vision, we also must appreciate this archive of knowledge unearthing before our eyes fabulous and previously unknown talents and repertoires. Fortunately, there’s more to this movement than meets the eye. Destinées, Sophie de Bardonnèche’s first solo album, is one of those marvellous gems. It has to be said that over the last few years, the violinist has had time to make a name for herself, notably with Le Consort, the chamber ensemble she co-founded in 2015 and whose recordings have received regular praise from the specialist industry press. In fact, some members of Le Consort accompany her on this disc devoted to female Baroque composers – you don’t change a winning formula. “The future is female” was their famous slogan. The future is female… but so is the past, is what Bardonnèche seems to be telling us over the course of her more than hour-long recital, which features a relatively well-known figure in the music world, that of Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665 – 1729), as well as others who are less well known but just as impressive: Elisabeth-Louise Papavoine, Mademoiselle Laurent, Françoise Charlotte de Menetou, and many others. While it is undisputed that Jacquet de la Guerre was one of the first women in France to receive recognition for her compositions and not just for her talents as a performer, Bardonnèche rightly points out that she was also one of the first to import a compositional format from Italy that assigned the violinist a solo role, a role that was until then specifically tethered to tutti or dance pieces. What’s more, the musical norms of the time, which made no distinction between teaching, performance and composition, lead us to believe that other female musicians lent themselves more to the art of writing music. Although not all of them had a destinée – evidenced by the title – as dazzling as Jacquet de la Guerre, they deserve our full appreciation today. The centrepieces of this opus are the two Sonatas for violin and harpsichord in D and A minor, as they provide feelings of heart-rending melodic sadness. The ensemble achieves an impressive balance of sound in two dance-like excerpts from Mademoiselle Laurent’s Concert, the “Ouverture” and the “Gigue”- the outbursts, accents and delays are delicately crafted, the words unfold with an unheard-of sense of colour and variation in tempo. Bardonnèche juxtaposes her talent as a soloist with the remarkable chamber music intelligence of the ensemble. We conclude in apotheosis with “Sarabande” and the “Passacaille” from the collection Les Génies de Mademoiselle Duval – two short form pieces that magically combine melodic expressivity with phrasal breathing. Thus, a well-deserved Qobuzissime for these superb Destinées. – Pierre Lamy
Tracklist:
1. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Presles: Meslange de musique latine, françoise et italienne: Ariette dans le goût nouveau (03:08)
2. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Papavoine: Cantatille “Le Cabriolet”: Tempête (00:43)
3. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Laurant: Le Concert: Premier air (02:17)
4. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in D Minor: I. […] (03:09)
5. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in D Minor: II. Presto (01:58)
6. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in D Minor: III. Adagio (00:52)
7. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in D Minor: IV. Presto – Adagio (01:45)
8. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in D Minor: V. Presto (01:59)
9. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in D Minor: VI. Aria (05:45)
10. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in D Minor: VII. Presto (01:56)
11. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Bocquet: Prélude in D Major (00:46)
12. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Menetou: Airs sérieux à deux: Gavotte (00:55)
13. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate in A Minor: I. Grave (01:58)
14. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate in A Minor: II. Allegro (02:51)
15. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate in A Minor: III. Aria (01:21)
16. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate in A Minor: IV. Sarabande (02:36)
17. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate in A Minor: V. Gavotte (01:23)
18. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate in A Minor: VI. Presto (02:50)
19. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Chaussée: Menuet (01:16)
20. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Pièces de clavecin, Livre 2: Prélude en la mineur (01:41)
21. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in A Minor: I. […] (02:40)
22. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in A Minor: II. Presto (02:23)
23. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in A Minor: III. Adagio (00:33)
24. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in A Minor: IV. Courante (02:10)
25. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Guerre: Sonate pour le violon et le clavecin in A Minor: V. Aria (02:49)
26. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Duval: Les Génies ou les Caractères de l’Amour: Rondeau (02:02)
27. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Fumeron: Le Triomphe de l’amour et l’hymen idylle, parodiée, En musique: Rondeau (02:32)
28. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Laurant: Le Concert: Ouverture (03:28)
29. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Laurant: Le Concert: Gigue (01:20)
30. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Talon: Menuet (01:19)
31. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Duval: Les Génies ou les Caractères de l’Amour: Sarabande (02:51)
32. Sophie de Bardonnèche, Lucile Boulanger, Justin Taylor – Duval: Les Génies ou les Caractères de l’Amour: Passacaille (02:29)
