French Portraits
Court musicians and a guest from the neighbour country
Marais–Rameau–Telemann
FiBO Players:
Pauliina Fred, traverso
Anthony Marini, violin
Louna Hosia, viola da gamba
Petteri Pitko, harpsichord
Eero Palviainen, theorbo
The most important forms of French instrumental Baroque are the dance suites and the character pieces. The enormous amount of dance suites show how meaningful and important dancing was within the social structures of the court and the upper class. Musical portraits were also composed, depicting the composers’ colleagues, other artists of the time, and also different kinds of both financial and non-financial supporters.
The gambist Marin Marais’ character has been immortalized by Gérard Depardieu in the cult film All the Mornings of the World from the 1990s. The talented Marais rose from a son of a hand craft family to the highest positions of the court of King Louis XIV and the opera world, and was seen as the gamba virtuosos of the time. The composition production of Marais includes four operas, a large amount of music for viola da gamba and a chamber music collection composed for a trio, Pièces en trio. Now we get to hear selected parts from this collection published in 1692.
In the middle of the 18th century, Jean-Philippe Rameau belonged to the most renowned French composers. Ha was specifically famous for his operas, but also cantatas, harpsichord music and his collection Pièces de clavecin en concert from 1741 are part of his production. The collection consists of five concertos in which different parts are named after famous people from that era. The concert we will hear now starts with the portrait of Jean-Benjamin de Laborde (1734-1794). Laborde was the right hand man to Louis XV and a talented musician himself. The second part is named after the famous harpsichordist Anne-Jeanne Boucon (1708-1780). Through the concertos we will also hear typical dances from the time, like the second concerto’s menuets. Some names of the different parts are also named after people’s characteristics and features. The name of the third part, ”L’Agaçante” refers to the verb agacer which means teasing and banters. Maybe that part is the portrait of a teasing seducer…
The German Georg Philipp Telemann was very famous both in his home country and abroad. During a visit to Paris in 1738 the so-called Parisian quartets were published. Telemann was part of the group when the pieces were premiered and he performed the quartets together with the flutist Michel Blavet, the violinist Jean-Pierre Guignon, the gambist Jean-Baptiste Forqueray and the harpsichordist-cellist Édouard. Telemann knew the musical styles of his era extremely profoundly, and one can really hear the French influence in his quartets. The grand quartet in E minor starts off with a French ouvertyr, which is followed by several dance parts. The piece is concluded with a chaconne part in which the variations and harmonies are exceptionally inventive and expressive.
Duration: 45 min (no intermission)