Pièces pour théorbe et guitare

Description

Musician at the court of King Louis XIV, Robert De Visée (1655-1732) was both a theorbo player, guitarist, and even a viola da gamba player while serving at Louis XIV's court. A "master" of these instruments according to the historian Fétis. He is known for three collections of instrumental music: two for guitar and one for theorbo and lute. This recording features two suites for guitar (1716) and several pieces for theorbo (1686). At that time, the lute had already begun its decline, supplanted by the harpsichord, while the theorbo (an amplification of the lute) persisted as a continuo instrument. The Spanish guitar, on the other hand, retained its charm among musicians thanks to the publication of airs de cour by Mouliné (1629) and François Martin (1663). Xavier Diaz-Latorre, a versatile instrumentalist, plays here on contemporary instruments: a theorbo (Jaume Bosser, 2000) with 14 choirs (or strings) and a small four-choir guitar (Peter Biftin, 2007). One will appreciate the sensual delicacy of the guitarist's fingerwork on the four strings and the grand playing of the theorbo with its deep, resonant timbre. Diaz-Latorre possesses a true art of singing that suits both the suites, which are dance-like and extroverted, and the theorbo pieces with a darker, more intimate atmosphere. A disc to savor like a meal from a Michelin-starred chef. Add to that a splendid sound recording, a specialty of the house (Passacaille). (Jérôme Angouillant)