Frédérique’s choice – 13th october 2023

This week many of us have been shocked and overwhelmed by the horror that has struck innocent civilians, women, men, children and even babies killed, wounded, tortured and taken hostage. In the face of so much suffering, music can help us to cope, to ease our pain, to help us regain some inner peace.

One of the victims was Dominique Bernard, a French teacher who was murdered on Friday 13th October at the Lycée Gambetta in Arras. « He loved reading, listening to classical music, history and gardening », according to one of his friends. This blog post is dedicated to him, his family, friends and colleagues.

Canon – Bach – Sonatas et partitas volume 2 – frank peter zimmermann

Against the chaos of the world, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) acts like a balm on our bruised souls and tormented spirits. German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann has just released a second recording of Bach’s Sei solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato, i.e. Bach’s sonatas and partitas, which « unlike most other sets of six works in Bach’s instrumental œuvre », « is not just a collection of works with different origins, but a multifaceted, coherent cycle that was planned as such from the outset. » (Dominik Sackmann, booklet of the album)

This album contains the Sonata in G minor, the Sonata in C major and the Partita No. 1 in B minor. These three works are magnificent examples of Bach’s art of composition: « Bach always designed the progression of the voices in such a way that the indi- vidual notes of a figuration simultaneously outline the underlying harmony. It is this intertwining of the melodic, rhythmic, harmonic and contrapuntal aspects that gives the Sei solo perceptible balance and multidimensionality. Bach’s sophisticated synthesis of the diverse components of the musical setting results in notes that have a merely decorative function on one level becoming indispensable elements on another, so that the structural foundation and ornamental expansion enter into a dialectical relationship with one another. » (Dominik Sackmann)

When you’re a violinist, you’re bound to be confronted with these monuments to the violin repertoire, and so there’s no shortage of fine interpretations, most recently the magnificent recording by James Ehnes. Frank Peter Zimmermann interprets these works with great nobility, sobriety and musical depth, and of course a great sense of articulation and a technique of unfailing virtuosity.

Recording of the week – Idylle – Léa Désandre, Thomas Dunford

‘Love, Music, Nature’, Around this triptych, mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre and lutenist Thomas Dunford have woven a programme of French arias and melodies spanning several centuries since the Baroque era. From Marc-Antoine Charpentier to Françoise Hardy, via Michel Lambert, Jacques Offenbach, Reynaldo Hahn and Claude Debussy, in Idylle Désandre and Dunford invite us on a delightful journey through several centuries of French song tradition.

This is an exquisite and delightful programme, one that is a pleasure to immerse yourself in. Lea Desandre interprets these arias with great delicacy, poetic sentiment and meticulous phrasing. Her clear, warm and silky timbre is perfectly suited to this repertoire. On the theorbo, Thomas Dunford accompanies her with a subtle blend of elegance and refinement. A pure moment of grace and gentleness!