Marais, M: Tombeau pour Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe

“Robert King has always been able to assemble the right people for the right job...he combines the contrasting timbres of Carolyn Sampson (soprano) and Marianne Beate Kielland (mezzo) in sumptuous performances of three works by Couperin. Sampson’s brightness and Kielland’s riper tones beautifully complement each other.” Sunday Times, 10th March 2013

“Carolyn Sampson and Marianne Beate Kielland [find] liquid lyricism for the vocal arabesques that Couperin weaves around the introductory letters of the Hebrew alphabet...A disc that brings to life a body of music that fully merits the expressive finesse these performers bring to it.” The Telegraph, 29th March 2013 ****

“Another hit for the King Consort's new label Vivat. The gorgeous Trois leçons de ténèbres...are remarkable for their intertwining, sensual dissonances: here the idiomatic (though not vibrato-free) voices of soprano Carolyn Sampson and mezzo Marianne Beate Kielland are recorded quite close, so the detail tells...the eloquent centrepiece is the third lesson for them both, absolutely spine-tingling in its intensity.” The Observer, 7th April 2013

“[Sampson and Kielland] deliver fresh performances that are at once serious, stylish and beautifully judged...Well worth acquiring.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

“the delightful purity and seeming weightlessness of Sampson's voice, at times soaring ethereally in delicate melismas, is perfectly complemented by the warmer character of the Norwegian mezzo-soprano...The instrumental support for the Lecons is discreet, a model of refined restraint...King's own notes are packed with priceless information and valuable insight.” International Record Review, May 2013

“The two singers complement each other beautifully in the final setting, Kielland's reedy voice, with its somewhat androgynous quality, throwing Sampson's crystalline soprano into high relief and adding a slight edginess that prevents the performances from becoming too saccharine.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 *****

“The most substantial pieces here are the set of variations of La folia, and the Tombeau pour M-deSte Colombe in memory of Marais's mentor. His idiom embodies a paradox that's peculiarly French, in that it demands a very high technical standard, yet its proper expression requires the utmost restraint. The young Finnish viol-player, Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, is a founder-member of Phantasm. Here he holds his own with elegance and reserve, although in the slower pieces one might have wished for more rhythmic flexibility. The continuo section consists of another viol-player, and a theorbo or harpsichord (though in the variations on La folia, the two are combined). This works well for the most part, though the high partials of the harpsichord tend to drown the viols: the lute is far less obtrusive.
The problem of balance also intrudes when the soloist is in the lower range. But as an introduction to Marais's art this is hard to fault – try his Pavan 'in the style of the bygone lute composers': a real treat.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Sparkling playing with the sense of uninhibited joy which only technical mastery and unbridled imagination can generate.” BBC Music Magazine

“The title only hints at the disc's riches: it is a veritable 'art gallery' in sound. Marianne Muller and her continuo colleagues in the Ensemble Spirale explore the ways in which 17th- and 18th-century French composers, inspired by the popularity of 'literary portraits', devised selfportraits and hommages in music to their teachers, family and friends.
Composing a tombeau was a uniquely French way of honouring the life and musical legacy of a departed colleague. The lute-playing Gautier cousins (Ennemond and Denis) were early masters of this form; this recording may indeed have been inspired by those Marais composed for his teachers, Lully and Ste Colombe.
There is more to ponder: we find Rameau's evocation of Forqueray and the reverse as well as self-portraits. However, as both Forqueray (father and son) and Rameau were married to musicians, it may be that some of these allude to the ladies.
Further pièces de caractère by Forqueray complete the CD. That the music of most of these composers is reasonably well known to us helps us today to appreciate the allusions being made.
But there is still more here to excite our interest.
Muller has arranged two of Rameau's well known Pièces de clavecin en concerts, substituting a second bass viol in the part usually taken by a flute or violin. The result is a slightly lighter, more homogeneous texture that loses none of its sparkle in translation. These are fascinating and eloquent performances.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Composing a tombeau was a uniquely French way of honouring the life and musical legacy of a departed colleague. These are fascinating and eloquent performances.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2008

“This 350th birthday tribute to the French viol composer Marin Marais makes an excellent introduction to his music…. The E minor Suite, with its flowing, melancholy sarabande, energetic gigues (one of which involves stratospherically high double-stopping) and the grandly sorrowful Tombeau on a chromatic ground-bass, which makes a satisfying conclusion.” The Telegraph