Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre: Judith & Sémélé

Description

Clavecinist virtuoso and pioneering composer in many areas, Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre left a rich production of cantatas, both secular and sacred. Soprano Maïlys de Villoutreys, Héloise Gaillard, and her ensemble Amarillis pay tribute to her through the cantatas Judith and Sémélé, inspired by female figures embodying on one side virtue and courage, and on the other, temerity and pride. Of intimate or more operatic dimension, the two works highlight the innate theatrical sense of the composer. The ensemble does not forget her instrumental work, recording the Suite in G, taken from her Pièces pour clavecin of 1707, a prototype of accompanied harpsichord music (a genre that would appeal even to Rameau), as well as the Trio Sonata No. 4 in an unprecedented instrumentation. Beneath the chromaticism and sophisticated harmonies inspired by Corelli lies the art of purely French ornamentation, in one of its most beautiful outcomes.