Proms Saturday Matinee 2 (28.7.12): Les 24 Violons du Roy

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Saturday 28 July 3.00pm – c. 4.30pm
Cadogan Hall

Lully: Armide – suite (15 mins)
Desmarets: Circé – suite (10 mins)
Marais: Ariane et Bacchus – suite (15 mins)
Campra: Tancrède – suite (13 mins)
Lalande: Symphonies pour les soupez du roy – suite (12 mins)

Les 24 Violons du Roy
Sir Roger Norrington conductor

Roger Norrington recreates the distinctive sounds of the orchestra of the French court of Louis XIV, Les 24 Violons du Roy. With suites by the important court musicians of the day - Lully, Marais, Campra and Lalande.

For this special project, the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles has painstakingly recreated these early instruments, and they are played by musicians from the Royal College of Music and the French conservatoires of Paris and Orsay, reviving these unique musical textures as they might have been heard 300 years ago.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Moi? I like to hear RN in this music. Sadly, not much else.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Missed it.

[Bryn]

Missed it.

That's what the iPlayer's for.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

That's what the iPlayer's for.

... which sounds good through headphones, but the seating is rather uncomfortable.

[David-G]

I heard some of this in the car driving back from watching the Olympic cycle road race, and the remainder in hi-fi at home. It was a most enjoyable concert, the enjoyment being augmented by Norrington's dry humour. I shall certainly listen again with the i-Player.

And as a bonus, we had the privilege of being able to listen to the complete applause, not overlaid by any comments about how fantastically wonderfully fantastic it was!

(Added later) Just been listening to the beginning of this concert, which I missed before. Delightful music, engagingly played with a spring in its step. The original "24 Violons" was the first "modern" orchestra, and played music for Louis XIV's court. The instruments were of violin type, but differed from the violins / violas / cellos that we know; the six "dessus" instruments, for example, were like miniature violins, and were played with miniature bows. By the mid-eighteenth century, the orchestra had expanded to 41, an enormous number for the time. Then about 1760, "modern" instruments were introduced to France, leaving the old instruments unused - and so they were all burnt. After a gap of 250 years, they have now been recreated, and the re-creations are being played in today's concert.

[David-G]

... which sounds good through headphones, but the seating is rather uncomfortable.

Maybe you need a more comfortable chair?

[bluestateprommer]

It was a most enjoyable concert

Agreed; I liked this much more than the earlier Late Night Prom by Le Concert Spirituel. Les 24 Violons du Roy were certainly not as rip-roaring as Le Concert Spirituel, which may have been the reason why I found this Saturday Matinee Prom much more preferable. While unlike DG, I found some of RN's "dry humour" a little bit over the snarky line for my taste, in terms of musicianship, the really important factor here, his leadership was excellent in this concert.

Also, part of the reason that Christopher Cook didn't overlay any OTT comments about the music during the applause was that he was basically on stage, rather than in a separate booth, to do his announcements, i.e. in the same physical space as the audience and the performers. It would thus have been extremely gauche to have spoken over the applause from the stage.

[doversoul1]

I’ve just Listenagain-ed. A delightful concert. Five stars from The Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jul/31/proms-matinee-les-24-violons

It will be repeated on Sunday 12 at 2.00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lsz6r

I wonder if there is any more information somewhere about the instruments.

[pilamenon]

Agreed; I liked this much more than the earlier Late Night Prom by Le Concert Spirituel. Les 24 Violons du Roy were certainly not as rip-roaring as Le Concert Spirituel, which may have been the reason why I found this Saturday Matinee Prom much more preferable. While unlike DG, I found some of RN's "dry humour" a little bit over the snarky line for my taste, in terms of musicianship, the really important factor here, his leadership was excellent in this concert.

Also, part of the reason that Christopher Cook didn't overlay any OTT comments about the music during the applause was that he was basically on stage, rather than in a separate booth, to do his announcements, i.e. in the same physical space as the audience and the performers. It would thus have been extremely gauche to have spoken over the applause from the stage.

Agreed - very enjoyable concert. I loved Le Concert Spirituel just as much, however!