The Garden Party

The Marais Project’s anniversary disc The Garden Party has a festive flavour, mixing world-premiere Marais arrangements and Eriksson’s title track with earlier Move recordings across French baroque, Swedish folk and South American song.

The Marais Project ensemble
Jennifer Eriksson viola da gamba
Susie Bishop violin, voice
Emily-Rose Šárkova piano accordion, voice
Tommie Andersson theorbo, baroque guitar
Elsen Price double bass
Belinda Montgomery soprano
Daniel Yeadon viola da gamba
Melissa Farrow baroque flute
Fiona Ziegler baroque violin
Catherine Upex viola da gamba continuo
Chris Berensen harpsichord
Pascal Herrington tenor

Jennifer Eriksson composer
Marin Marais composer
Pierre Bouteiller composer
Ariel Ramírez composer
Carlos Carabajal composer
Emily-Rose Šárkova arranger
Tommie Andersson arranger

Early music ensemble The Marais Project has never followed a predictable path. Over twenty years its recorded output has ranged widely: French and Swedish baroque, folk song and jazz. Director Jenny Eriksson has also commissioned and premiered some twenty-five new Australian works, building fresh repertoire for the viola da gamba.

The opening track, Eriksson’s own The Garden Party, is a cheeky take on Marais’ celebrated Feste Champêtre. Emily-Rose Šárkova supplies an Australian-first Marais suite for viola da gamba and piano accordion, and arranges the two spirited South American songs that close the programme.

More than half the track list is new. Between those premieres, Eriksson and producer Llew Kiek weave material from earlier Move releases such as Love Reconciled and Smörgåsbord, spanning French baroque to Swedish folk and showing the group’s breadth of style and culture. Chris Doherty mixed the disc; Michael Lynch mastered it.

“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!”

Twenty years of running an unfunded chamber music group based around a non-mainstream instrument like the viola da gamba has not been without its challenges. This is not a career path for the faint hearted or the thin skinned. But the upsides have always outweighed the downsides. I have had two decades of playing the music I love with colleagues I admire with the support of audiences who consistently come along to our events with open ears and open hearts.

I was a late starter. It took me a long time to get up the courage to form my own ensemble in 2000. It was only in 2007 that I felt ready to put down our first recording, Viol Dreaming. That initial CD set the broad pattern for our subsequent releases with its mix of French baroque viol music – two suites by Marais – a cantata by Montéclair and world premieres of Australian works by Kevin Hunt and Matthew Perry. Juxtaposition is good. Although I play an instrument with a heritage across several centuries, I live in 21st-century Australia. Artists must, in my view, have the confidence to hold the past, present and future in creative tension.

Now to this CD. Listeners will hear new repertoire and meet musicians who have not previously recorded with The Marais Project in Elsen Price, Susie Bishop and Emily-Rose Šárkova. They will also rediscover music and musicians from previous recordings.

Where to from here? I am not sure if I will be playing in another 20 years’ time but as my guiding light, Jordi Savall, does not seem to have any retirement plans, who knows?

Finally, I would like to acknowledge those who have helped this decades-long project: the musicians, my family and friends, audience members, arts organisations and media along with so many others who have given encouragement and support. Thank you.

— Jennifer Eriksson

Reviews

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

Artists

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.

Jennifer Eriksson

Jennifer Eriksson completed her initial musical studies at the Sydney Conservatorium before moving to the Netherlands for three years of viola da gamba tuition with Jaap ter Linden at Rotterdam Conservatorium.

Audio previews

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Tracks

The Garden Party Jennifer Eriksson 5:16

Suite in E minor, Pièces de viole, 4e livre, Paris 1717 Marin Marais Arr: Emily-Rose Šárkova

Rondeau Paÿsan 1:50
Sarabande 3:45
La Matelotte 1:46
La Biscayenne 1:53
O salutaris hostia Pierre Bouteiller 4:27

Suite No. 2 in G minor, Pièces en Trio, Paris 1692 Marin Marais

Prelude 3:28
Rondeau 1:12
Plainte 3:48
Petite Passacaille 3:34
J'avois crû (Anonymous) 4:07

Suite in G minor, Pièces de violes, 5e livre, Paris 1725 Marin Marais

Rondeau louré 3:45
Allemande La Marianne 2:33
Sarabande 2:50
Menuet 1:01
La Georgienne dite la Maupertuy 1:34
Om sommaren sköna In beautiful summer (Traditional) Arr: Tommie Andersson 4:47
La Anunciación Ariel Ramírez Arr: Emily-Rose Šárkova 1:56
De Fiesta en Fiesta Carlos Carabajal Arr: Emily-Rose Šárkova 3:23

Performers

The Marais Project
Jennifer Eriksson
Susie Bishop · violin, voice · tracks 1, 11, 18 and 19
Emily-Rose Šárkova · piano accordion, voice · all except tracks 6–17
Tommie Andersson · theorbo, baroque guitar · tracks 1, 6–19
Elsen Price · all except tracks 2–17
Belinda Montgomery · track 6
Daniel Yeadon · track 6
Melissa Farrow · baroque flute · tracks 7–10 and 17
Fiona Ziegler · baroque violin · tracks 7–10 and 17
Catherine Upex · viola da gamba continuo · tracks 12–16
Chris Berensen · tracks 12–16
Pascal Herrington · track 17

Composers

Tommie Andersson

Tommie Andersson was born in Sweden and has been based in Sydney since 1984. He is regarded as Australia's leading specialist in lutes and early guitars, and as a continuo player and soloist across the early-music repertoire.

Marin Marais

Marin Marais (1656–1728) was a French composer and master of the viola da gamba. His five books of Pièces de viole remain the summit of the French baroque viol repertoire.

Pierre Bouteiller

Pierre Bouteiller’s surviving sacred works comprise thirteen petits motets and a requiem for five voices and basso continuo. His motets for voice with two viola da gambas place the singer among the rich, intimate sonorities of the French viol tradition.

Carlos Carabajal

Ariel Ramírez

Emily-Rose Šárkova

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
Total playing time: 56 minutes 55 seconds
Producer: Jennifer Eriksson
Llew Kiek
Philip Pogson
Recording Engineer: Chris Doherty
Editing Engineer: Jennifer Eriksson
Llew Kiek
Mastering Engineer: Michael Lynch
Venue: EMI Studios 301
Release date: 20 May 2019
Categories: Classical, Early music
Genres: Early Music, Baroque, Contemporary Classical
Barcode: EAN 9314574059229

Related recordings

Exquisite Harmonies

Exquisite Harmonies features works for viola da gamba and harpsichord, and several harpsichord solos, largely from the French Baroque. The exceptions are Telemann, Abel and Australian composer Troy Russell. A nice treat is an improvised harpsichord fantasia in the style of Telemann.