The Garden Party
The Marais Project’s latest offering, The Garden Party, has a festive anniversary flavour and includes several world premieres, not the least of which is the Eriksson-penned title track.
Marin Marais composer
Pierre Bouteiller composer
Ariel Ramírez composer
Carlos Carabajal composer
Early music ensemble, The Marais Project, has never followed a predictable path. Their recorded output over the past 20 years has been impressive and varied: six CDs covering a gamut of repertoire from the French and Swedish baroque to folk song and jazz. In addition, Director Jenny Eriksson has commissioned and premiered some 25 new Australian compositions creating a whole new repertoire for her instrument, the viola da gamba.
Eriksson's opening track, The Garden Party, is a cheeky take on Marin Marais Feste Champêtre, one of his most celebrated works. There is a superb Australian-first arrangement of a Marais suite for viola da gamba and piano accordion by Emily-Rose Šárkova. As well as playing the piano accordion Šárkova arranged the two spirited South American songs which close the recording.
Woven between the new repertoire, which makes up more than 50% of the track list, Eriksson and highly-regarded producer Llew Kiek have included selected music from several previous CDs, each of which was released on the Move label. The earlier material spans from the French baroque to Swedish folk song and serves to illustrate the broad range of musical styles and cultures the group embraces . Brilliantly mixed by long-term sound engineer, Chris Doherty, the CD is mastering by Michael Lynch.
“The Garden Party summarises our first twenty years and provides a launching pad for the years to come”, Eriksson commented. “I hope listeners will love the recording: we had a ball making it!”
Press quotes
“The Garden Party is a winning collection of 9 pieces with 19 tracks amounting to just under an hour of music. The mood is sometimes gentle, sometimes brimming with the jollity of the masque and sometimes full of medieval melancholy, with touches of jazz, swing and Latino idioms. It includes two world premiere recordings, The Garden Party (Eriksson) and the Suite in E minor, Pièces de viole, 4è livre by Marin Marais, arranged by Šárkova. Perhaps their best recording yet. Ravishing!”
— Shamistha de Soysa, SoundsLikeSydney
“Marais and many composers would love such fresh collaborations and inclusions of instruments such as the viola da gamba with such altered voice in new ensemble opportunities.”
— Paul Nolan, Sydney Arts Guide
Artist
The Marais Project
The Marais Project is a celebration of music for the viola da gamba inspired by Marin Marais, the great French virtuoso viola da gamba performer and composer. Formed by Jennifer Eriksson in 2000, the ensemble’s original aim was to perform the complete viola da gamba works of Marais – a monumental task which is more than 85% complete.
Audio previews
Track Listing
- The Garden Party Jennifer Eriksson
- Rondeau Paÿsan
- Sarabande
- La Matelotte
- La Biscayenne
- O salutaris hostia Pierre Bouteiller
- Prelude
- Rondeau
- Plainte
- Petite Passacaille
- J'avois crû (Anonymous)
- Rondeau louré
- Allemande La Marianne
- Sarabande
- Menuet
- La Georgienne dite la Maupertuy
- Om sommaren sköna In beautiful summer (Traditional)
- La Anunciación Ariel Ramírez
- De Fiesta en Fiesta Carlos Carabajal
Suite in E minor, Pièces de viole, 4 livre, Paris 1717 Marin Marais
Suite No. 2 in G minor, Pièces en Trio, Paris 1692 Marin Marais
Suite in G Minor, Pièces de violes, 5 livre, Paris 1725 Marin Marais
Performers
Composers
Jennifer Eriksson
Jennifer Eriksson completed her initial musical studies at the Sydney Conservatorium then moved to The Netherlands for three years to undertake viola da gamba tuition with Jaap ter Linden at Rotterdam Conservatorium.
Marin Marais
Marin Marais (1656-1728) was a French composer and viol player. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for six months.
Where to listen
The Garden Party is available for streaming through Spotify and Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.
The Garden Party is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.
Product details
- Catalogue number
- MCD 592
- List price
- $25.00 AUD
- Release date
- 20 May 2019
- Musical work
copyright - © 2019 The Marais Project
- Sound recording
copyright - ℗ 2019 Move Records
- Categories
- Classical, Early music
- Barcode
- EAN 9314574059229
Related recordings
Nordic Moods & Baroque Echoes
This recording is a collaboration between Duo Langborn/Wendel & The Marais Project. It is a blend baroque music, original compositions and arrangements, as well as folk music from both Australia and Sweden.
Australian Monody
The Marais Project is joined by international countertenor, Russell Harcourt, in a brilliant collection of largely Australian songs and instrumental works exploring light and darkness, love and loss.
Two
Two brings together the nationally renowned talents of Marais Project founding members, Jennifer Eriksson, viola da gamba, and Tommie Andersson, gallichon, theorbo and baroque guitar, in a seldom heard way. Each plays alternate brackets of solos on their respective instruments before embarking on a joint performance of a splendid suite by Marin Marais.
Spinning Forth
The title of this CD is suggestive of the music yet to come. The album draws together several threads implicit in Marais' purpose and their Swedish roots. At the core remains the Viol de Gamba music of the French baroque, but also newly commissioned Australian compositions - spinning forth in new directions.