Sunday 30 April
Les Voisins
Simon Martyn Ellis (theorbo and guitars), Justine Cormack (violin), James Bush (cello),
Programme
Chaconne in G Major (solo theorbo)
Jean-Marie Leclair
Sonata for Violin and Continuo, Opus 2, No 1
Prelude / Les Silvains des M Couperin (solo theorbo)
Marin Marais
Sonnerie de Sainte Geneviève du Mont-de-Paris
Alex Taylor
Ordre
Maurice Ravel
Sonata for Violin and Cello
Tribute to Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli and the Hot Club de France:
Django Reinhardt
Nuages, Sweet Georgia Brown, Minor Swing, Daphne
This concert takes us on an intriguing journey through French music from the court of Louis XIV to the 1930s jazz world of the Hot Club de France. It offers a rare opportunity to see and hear the theorbo, a Baroque plucked instrument of the lute family, which has an extended neck with very long deep bass strings.
Les Voisins means ‘neighbours’ – a reference to the fact that former NZTrio violinist Justine Cormack and sought-after early music cellist James Bush grew up next to each other in Christchurch. They are joined by Australian lutenist and guitarist Simon Martyn-Ellis who is much in demand throughout Europe and the United States.
The concert opens with three of the composers who were prominent during the French Baroque. Robert de Visée’s music for theorbo is some of the finest written for this unique instrument. Leclair is credited with founding the French violin school and Marin Marais was a celebrated viola da gamba player.
After New Zealand composer Alex Taylor’s response to the musical world of the Sun King and Ravel’s Violin and Cello Sonata we can enjoy some fine jazz classics to complete this fascinating and wide-ranging programme.
