FRANÇOIS D’AGINCOUR Pièces d’orgue
Hervé Niquet Les Dames de St Jean
GCD 921701
—
Performing artists
Hervé Niquet, grand orgue
Les Dames de St Jean, plainchantGeneviève Berger, Isabelle Jost, Landy Andriam, Sylvaine Bertrand, Martha Rioux, Aude Patru, Marie Degodet, Jaquie Aeltermann
Production details
Playing time: 75’43 Recorded in Seurre, France, in August 2000 Engineered by Manuel Mohino Produced by Manuel Mohino and Hervé Niquet Executive producer: Carlos Céster Editorial assistant: María Díaz Booklet essay: Jean-Yves Patte Booklet in English-Français-Deutsch-Español
Buy this product
FRANÇOIS D’AGINCOUR (1684-1758)
« Feste de Pentecoste au Couvent des Visitandines »
1 Procession 2 Prélude 3 Introïtus 4 Postlude 5 Kyrie 6 Gloria 7 Séquence 8 Offertoire 9 Sanctus 10 Elévation 11 Agnus Dei12 Communion13 Domine Salvum Fac Regem14 Litanies à la Vierge15 Magnificat16 Benedicamus Domino
About this CD
The first volume of the complete works of François d’Agincour is appealing in many ways: the originality and beauty of the music –never before published or recorded– together with Hervé Niquet’s celebrated performance, combined with the evocative voices of Les Dames de St Jean, who bring us plainchant from Nivers, and the amazing sound of an organ built by Tribuot, royal organist, equipped with a whole range of subtle musical nuances in addition to raw power, all of which have been captured by the world’s foremost expert in the field of historical organ recordings, the Belgian sound engineer Manuel Mohino. The CD wouldn’t be complete without the informative liner notes written by Jean-Yves Patte describing the fascinating reconstruction that Niquet makes of a religious celebration at a Salesian convent, thus providingthe perfect context for D’Agincour’s 46 surviving organ pieces.
Hervé Niquet is far less interested in being known as a Baroque music specialist than for his passionate interest in all of French music, especially its vocal and lyrical compositions and nowadays he is as liable to be found directing a symphony orchestra as his own period instrument ensemble Le Concert Spirituel. It may come, for some, as a surprise to find Niquet teaming up with the Brussels Philharmonic to record Debussy but this future release will mark the inauguration of a new adventure for Niquet and Glossa focusing on the music associated with the Prix de Rome competition which drew in scores of leading French composers all the way from 1803 through 1968. [read more...]
Taking a leading role in the revival of tragédies lyriques (or tragédies en musique), the best of the French Baroque opera tradition, is a long, daunting (and expensive) challenge but one which Hervé Niquet has been keen to accept. Present as a singer in the chorus of Les Arts Florissants in 1987 when William Christie put on Lully’s Atys, Niquet formed his own ensemble, Le Concert Spirituel that same year. Since that time he has balanced his own endeavours to stage (and record) key French tragédies with his other musical interests, which extend from Monteverdi to Purcell and Handel (soon to be reissued – now on SACD – is Niquet’s recording of the Fireworks and Water Music suites) right the way through to later composers such as Schumann, Gounod and d’Indy.[read more...]