Mention French music of the late 17th century, and the adjectives that come to mind are the same ones associated with the Louis XIV: splendid, imposing, ritualistic. The music of the era was exemplified by Lully's tightly controlled dramatic compositions and by massive church compositions. Both types were composed by Michel Lambert (1610-1696), but there was another side to music of the Sun King's era, and Lambert specialized in that. The air de cour, or court air, was intimate, romantic, subtle: everything that the Lully ...
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Mention French music of the late 17th century, and the adjectives that come to mind are the same ones associated with the Louis XIV: splendid, imposing, ritualistic. The music of the era was exemplified by Lully's tightly controlled dramatic compositions and by massive church compositions. Both types were composed by Michel Lambert (1610-1696), but there was another side to music of the Sun King's era, and Lambert specialized in that. The air de cour, or court air, was intimate, romantic, subtle: everything that the Lully opera was not. And Lully himself composed music for quieter occasions, as well. With these factors in mind, the fine new Belgian group Musica Favola constructs a program that might have been heard in a 17th century drawing room or at the outdoor concert depicted in the painting used in the album's graphics. The Lambert airs are real gems and have not been heard much before. Several are attractively gloomy romantic laments that show little operatic influence yet have real emotional...
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