Glen Wilson and Mieneke van der Velden - Marais: Pieces De Viole (1998)

Pièces de viole – Marin Marais It is no easy matter to make a selection of pieces from the ‘pièces de viole’ of Marin Marais; for gamba players this repertoire is the pinnacle of the solo literature and one could record many cds filled with ‘the best pieces’. There are no fewer than five books of beautiful suites and so-called ‘pièces de caractère’ (separate pieces with a specific character, as indicated by their titles; on our cd these include ‘Le Labyrinthe’, ‘La Rêveuse’, etc.). The cd includes both suites and ‘pièces de caractère’, resulting in great contrasts of affect, character, and tone color, a diversity which we also try to achieve when putting together a concert program. We have also chosen to combine Marais’s music with Louis Couperin’s glorious ‘préludes non-mesurés’ for solo harpsichord. These exceptional pieces are composed and notated without barlines and rhythmic indications, so that it is up to the performing harpsichordist to supply them with a structure. The effect is that of a quasi-improvisatory style, where the changing harmonies draw all the attention….