Destiny of baroque composers with Sophie de Bardonecchia: the concert

To accompany the release of his album Destinyviolinist Sophie de Bardonnèche is welcomed with Lucile Boulanger and Justin Taylor by the Philharmonie de Paris for a new number of the musical concerts at the Music Museum.

Without repeating the order of the disc, the three musicians kept the principle of not concentrating the violin pieces by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, thus avoiding giving the impression that on one side there is an accomplished composer. and on the other, amateurs capable of writing only modest pieces. And in fact, if some of these are short, none present any weakness. L’Ariette in the new taste by Anne-Madeleine Guesdon de Presles, Sophie de Bardonneche’s favorite according to her, is even of astonishing beauty and intensity, with its G minor, its passages reminiscent of Purcell and its magnificently collected ending. Or the richness of the counterpoint in the rondeau of Marie-Christine de Fumeron has little to envy of that of many of her male contemporaries. Many of the works presented this evening, previously unpublished and found in the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, were written for voice or lute, but the transcription for violin and basso continuo works impeccably.

Sophie de Bardonecchi’s playing does justice to the variety of affects found in this anthology of works. A Saraband can be very gentle in Jacquet de La Guerre, or full of flesh in Mademoiselle Duval. The eighth notes are subtly uneven, the ornaments discreet; the violinist seems to concentrate her effort on the variation of registers, on the search for the right tone and expression. The sound is superb, never forced, never lacking in support. Sophie de Bardonnèche, who had perhaps remained a little in the shadow of Théotime Langlois de Swarte within the Le Consort ensemble, fully reveals herself with this program.

His two accomplices do more than accompany him. Lucile Boulanger on the viol, solid and sensitive, has very beautiful moments of dialogue with the violin, as in theAria of a sonata in A minor by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, the latter’s pieces being written for violin and with an obbligato viol part. Justin Taylor, on the superb Ruckers/Taskin from the Music Museum (we had already heard it here on another historic and exceptional harpsichord), is not satisfied with a cheap continuo. Without taking away the light, it furnishes with great taste and contributes well to giving luster to these forgotten musics.

One regret, however: that the sonatas of Élisabeth Jacquet from La Guerre were cut (even though they are not on the disc), the concert lasting barely an hour and a quarter. Given the quality of the music and the performers, it certainly seems too short.

Photographic credits: Sophie de Bardonecchia © Thomas Gogny

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