Ensemble Odyssee - Dancing with the Sun King (2019)

Tracklist
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01. Sérénade ou concert, airs champêtres: I. Marché des bergers
02. Sérénade ou concert, airs champêtres: II. Branle
03. Sérénade ou concert, airs champêtres: III. Gavotte
04. Sérénade ou concert, airs champêtres: IV. Pastourelles I & II
05. Sérénade ou concert, airs champêtres: V. Pantalonade en rondeau
06. Sérénade ou concert, airs champêtres: VI. Chalumeaux rondeau
07. Sérénade ou concert, airs champêtres: VII. Danse de village
08. Sérénade ou concert, airs champêtres: VIII. Passe-pied
09. Caprice
10. Sérénade ou concert, airs tendres: I. Sommeil
11. Sérénade ou concert, airs tendres: II. Sarabande
12. Sérénade ou concert, airs tendres: III. Gavotte
13. Sérénade ou concert, airs tendres: IV. Sarabande
14. Sérénade ou concert, airs tendres: V. Sommeil
15. Boutade
16. Sérénade ou concert, airs de fanfare: I. Ouverture
17. Sérénade ou concert, airs de fanfare: II. Trompettes
18. Sérénade ou concert, airs de fanfare: III. Fantaisie
19. Sérénade ou concert, airs de fanfare: IV. Passe-pieds I & II
20. Sérénade ou concert, airs de fanfare: V. Courantes I & II
21. Sérénade ou concert, airs de fanfare: VI. Rigaudons I & II
22. Sérénade ou concert, airs de fanfare: VII. Menuets I & II
23. Les caractères de la danse

Louis XIV (1638-1715) was the personal embodiment of France and he loved to dance. The king himself was a fine dancer and had many opportunities to demonstrate his skill at the multiple dance balls given at Versailles. Michel Pignolet de Montéclair’s ‘Sérénade en Concerts’ is a collection of dances probably written for one such occasion.

The collection is exceptional because it contains all the music that was performed in one evening, divided into three parts: airs de fanfares, airs tendres and airs champêtres.

When Jean-Féry Rebel, one of the violin players of the Vingt-quatre violons, wrote ‘Les caractères de la danse’, he launched a new fashion: the piece was written for a solo female dancer who performed a rapid succession of different dances, completely changing character every few bars. The piece achieved great popularity.

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