Notes and Editorial Reviews
CORRETTE
6 Cello Sonatas,
op. 20, “Les Délices de la Solitude”
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Bassorum Vox (period instruments)
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COVIELLO CDV 21001 (61:05)
The death of Louis XIV in 1715 brought about a sea change in French musical taste. The concertos of Antonio Vivaldi had begun to dominate the European scene and the line between French and Italian musical traditions was finally and irrevocably blurred. It was in this climate that composers such as Georg Philipp Telemann fervently advocated for a mixed
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style that fused both the Italian and French musical traditions. It was François Couperin who ended the conflict, when, in 1724, he titled his collection of 10 programmatic suites
Les Goûts-réunis
(The Styles Reunited). In the preface to these suites, Couperin wrote, “The Italian and French styles have long divided the musical public in France. As for me, I have always highly regarded styles that are worthy of it, without respect of name and person.”
It wasn’t long before the Italian influence—with its expansive melodies and virtuoso writing—was commonplace in French music and the formal structure of the Italian solo concerto won its place in the limelight. The way was now clear for the ascent of the violoncello, the successor to the viola da gamba, and the former experienced a rapid rise to prominence in France. Scarcely known at the onset of the 18th century, the cello was soon gaining ground and in a few short decades it was going head-to-head with the violin in popularity. The first collection of solo works for cello by a French composer was published in 1714 by the indefatigable Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and others fell into queue (including one Jean-Baptiste Masse, who wrote five collections of cello sonatas, some of them for two cellos), intrigued by the virtuosic possibilities of the instrument and its deep-throated, singing tone.
Michel Corrette (1707–95) had his finger on the French musical pulse, and as a result was among the earliest to gravitate to the cello, exploring its possibilities and problems in his
Méthode théoretique et pratique pour appendre en peu temps, le violoncello dans sa perfection
(A Theoretical and Practical Method for Learning the Violincello in its Perfection in a Short Time). The method covered everything from bow hold and fingering to articulation and phrasing and included exercises. In sum, Corrette knew the cello like the back of his hand and his knowledge—down to the last detail—went into the collection of half a dozen sonatas published in 1738–39 as Corrette’s op. 20 with the title
Les Délices de la Solitude
(The Delights of Solitude). The meaning of the title is lost in antiquity and the sonatas themselves yield no discernable clues. Corrette freely includes ideas gleaned from his Italian contemporaries, e.g., the three- and four-movement structures, each bearing an Italian title. Dance movements—Allemande, Courante, or Giga—are also present. When combined with the singing melodies found in the slow movements and other effects, these sonatas offer the gifted cellist more than ample opportunity to display his or her wares.
Bassorum Vox consists of Seyung-Leon Lee and Se-Hee Kim, cello; Mami Kurumada, harpsichord; and Fernando Reyes Ferrón, theorbo and guitar. These young musicians offer vibrant performances on a variety of low instruments with a rich continuo—including Baroque guitar and theorbo—of unfamiliar repertoire from the 16th to the 19th century. For the foreseeable future, this turf is theirs and it is claimed with performances that are eloquently and fervently presented via a faultless and glowing delivery. There is also appropriate energy, charm, and an unswerving sense of elegance from first note to last.
This is not great music, but it is lovely music presented in a way that lacks the fussiness found in some period-instrument recordings.
FANFARE: Michael Carter
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Works on This Recording
1.
Sonata for cello, viol, bassoon & continuo No. 6 in D major, Op. 20 by Michel Corrette
Conductor:
Seung-Yeon Lee
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bassorum Vox
Period: Classical
Written: 1736
Venue: Evangelische Kirche Freiamt Mussbach
Length: 11 Minutes 35 Secs.
2.
Sonata for cello, viol, bassoon & continuo (La Delices de la Solitude No. 3), Op. 20/3 by Michel Corrette
Conductor:
Seung-Yeon Lee
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bassorum Vox
Period: Baroque
Venue: Evangelische Kirche Freiamt Mussbach
Length: 4 Minutes 36 Secs.
3.
Sonata for cello, viol, bassoon & continuo (Les Délices de la Solitude No. 1), Op. 20/1 by Michel Corrette
Conductor:
Seung-Yeon Lee
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bassorum Vox
Period: Baroque
Venue: Evangelische Kirche Freiamt Mussbach
Length: 2 Minutes 19 Secs.
4.
Sonata No. 4 in B major, Op. 20 by Michel Corrette
Conductor:
Seung-Yeon Lee
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bassorum Vox
Period: Baroque
Venue: Evangelische Kirche Freiamt Mussbach
Length: 9 Minutes 19 Secs.
5.
Sonata for cello, viol, bassoon & continuo in G major (La Delices de la Solitude No. 5), Op. 20/5 by Michel Corrette
Conductor:
Seung-Yeon Lee
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bassorum Vox
Period: Baroque
Venue: Evangelische Kirche Freiamt Mussbach
Length: 0 Minutes 26 Secs.
6.
Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 20/2 by Michel Corrette
Conductor:
Seung-Yeon Lee
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bassorum Vox
Period: Baroque
Venue: Evangelische Kirche Freiamt Mussbach
Length: 11 Minutes 20 Secs.
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