<<<  <<  -- 3 --  Peter G Howell    A DEFINITIVE VIEW

Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre was born with the surname of Jacquet and later adopted the surname of her husband, the organist Marin de la Guerre. Her father was an organist and her brothers were musicians and this is apparent in the musicianship of her work which clearly intrigued Louis XIV. Her music is subtle and intricate which comes through well in this recording. This is particularly apparent in the Chaconne [listen -- track 13, 0:00-0:50] and here with her delicate playing Imbi Tarum catches the quality of the music superbly. However, it seems almost worth listening to this piece before La Flamande [listen -- track 11, 0:00-1:00] and the Courante [listen -- track 12, 0:52-1:21] but such an arrangement would distort the logic of the sequence of the CD.

It is interesting to compare these pieces with the necessarily forthright presentation of Royer's La Marche des Scythes. The complex form of this piece [listen -- track 16, 5:04-6:51], amazingly performed, completes the CD in a very appropriate manner and at the same time shows the fine Siponmaa harpsichord at its richest.

In summary this CD is a very good listen with more than usual significance. The playing is superb and the interpretation fascinating. In simple terms everyone who is interested in French Baroque music should have a copy. Furthermore, anyone who likes harpsichord music in whatever form will also enjoy having a copy.

For help listening to the sound extracts here, please refer to our questions & answers page.