Customer Reviews

Marais: Viol Music for the Sun King

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm not an expert on classical music, and my review will not be a technical one - all I know is if you enjoy baroque and/or the deep, affecting tones of the viol, you will really enjoy this. This is a CD which is alternately pensive and stirring. Great stuff if you want to think about nothing or everything.

This cd is generally very very nice. I think this is only my 2nd cd with Marais music on it so I was interested to see if it was as good as the Marais stuff on Jordi Savall's Tous les Matins du Monde. I would say that I liked it about as much as that cd, except for the Couplets de Folies. On that track I thought the viol was too low in the mix. It wasn't "front and centre" like it is in Savall's version. Of the rest of the pieces on the disc the D major suite (tracks 5-10) is definitely my favourite; it's mostly slow & simltaneously happy & sad somehow. I think the other two suites are almost as good.

This is another outstanding Naxos recording of hauntingly beautiful viola da gamba music from the era of great French kings and queens. Although the artists and recordings may not be the finest available, they are certainly fine enough for all but the most critical enthusiasts.If you really like these, search out the more expensive versions and double your pleasure!

French Baroque is not a very well known style in performance circles either by the performers themselves or audiences. In particular, viola performances are probably the least known or heard. The viola da gamba is the cello's predecessor and prominent in both English and French Early-Mid Baroque. The instrument has greater range and resonance with 7 strings. There are probably fewer than 300 professional players performing on this instrument today. There are probably 4-5 who are the best and the musicians here are not even close to the talent of the undisputed and unmatched French master violist, Jordi Savall: there is absolutely no comparison.

The pieces here are mostly too slow in their interpretations of the meter and the players are simply not proficient enough to play most of them in terms of technique and knowledge of the French Baroque style. The violas are groaning in slow agony or screeching most of the time which is completely at odds with the intentions of the composer. All of them are equally pathetic in their execution. Listen to a sample of Savall's performances such as on the soundtrack to 'All The Mornings of The World' and the music will simply explain itself for you to make your descisions in buying French Baroque. He also has the best performance of Lully's 'Les Concerts Royaux' that I have ever heard: this man is nothing less than a prodigy in his art of the viola and his direction of French Baroque. I have the utmost respect for this man as an artist: he is truly a living legend.

For French Baroque in general and especially for Marin Marais or other viola composers, there is no other performer/conductor than Jordi Savall worth listening to. Especially for viola, his closest contenders are still motionless on the ground while he is flying circles in the stratosphere: there is simply no comparison and his virtuosity is exponentially superior to every one else's. Find out for yourselves and you will soon be agreeing with what I say. Since they didn't mention him by name, it seems that the previous reviewers have not heard Savall and so I wouldn't give too much credence in their overgenerous ratings. Good luck in your search for great music!