Simone El Oufir Pierini - Veras: Pieces de Clavecin - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Trio Poseidon - Piano Trios By Haydn Ireland & Brahms [COMPACT DISCS] date 12/11/2007

A new recording, unique in the catalogue, of the First (and only surviving) book of keyboard works by Charles de Mars (1702-1774). Compared to many other composers of his era, we know a good deal about the life of de Mars (alternatively known as Demars), making it all the more surprising that the present collection represents all the music of his to have come down to us. He was born to a wax merchant in Sezanne, a small town on the border between the French regions of Brie and Champagne. Several of his relatives were musicians, organists in particular, such as his two brothers. Indeed, we can trace more than 12 members of the de Mars/Tourneur dynasty as organists all over France. Again, the curiosity is that none of their compositions have survived, though they would have written music for their posts just as Charles de Mars did. There is a Handelian flavour to the harmony of the four suites in de Mars's volume, which was published in 1735 and therefore could conceivably have been written with awareness of the older composer's Eight Great Suites for harpsichord. Many features of the volume make it a singular body of work in the French harpsichord tradition. de Mars eschews descriptive titles for individual movements, and occasionally prescribes the performer to play with 'notes egales', and therefore specifically not in the inegale style which we associate with French keyboard composers of the day.As a specialist in this field of unfamiliar keyboard repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries, with an impressive catalogue of Brilliant Classics albums already to his credit, Simone Pierini has explored the life and work of de Mars for himself, and produced an authoritative booklet essay to accompany his new recording of the Pieces de Clavecin. The Fanfare reviewer of his 3CD album of keyboard sonatas by Helene de Montgeroult considered it 'a major addition to the catalo

The surviving work of a mystery composer fromthe late French Baroque, in a new recording by ahighly accomplished young early-musickeyboardist.Nothing is known of Le Bret beyond the volume ofkeyboard pieces reproduced here, which analysisof both musical style and ancillary details hasdated to the 1730s or 1740s. Whoever he was, LeBret was clearly inspired by François Couperin andJean-Philippe Rameau, and his style is comparableto that of the harpsichordists who followed intheir footsteps between 1720 and 1740, such asJean-François Dandrieu, François d'Agincourt,Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Bernard de Bury andJacques Duphly in his first two books.Like them, Le Bret alternates dances and characterpieces. On the other hand, he makes noconcessions to the taste for pastoral and countrymusic, does not seem influenced by opera music,and does not overdo descriptive effectsand virtuosity. All in all, Le Bret remainsfaithful to the subtle and poetic languageof the harpsichord; as he says in hispreface, he has 'always endeavored incomposing them to adorn them with themost graceful songs, knowing from ourmost illustrious masters that this is thebeauty of this instrument.' As Simone ElOufir Pierini observes in his booklet essayfor this album, one evident example of LeBret's knowledge of 'our most illustriousmasters' arises in the piece titledL'Embarassante, a stylish homage to LesCyclopes by Rameau.Born in Rome in 1996, Simone El OufirPierini studied piano at the conservatoireof the Accademia Nazionale di SantaCecilia. Developing a particular interest inhistorically informed piano practice, heattended masterclasses led by Alexei Lubimovand Andreas Staier, before undertakingspecialised study of harpsichord and bassocontinuo with such teachers as Andrea Coen andGiovanni Togni. He has made several wellreceived albums for Brilliant Classics, both soloand with colleagues.