Lachrimae Consort

IN the film Tous les Matins du Monde there were no heroes neither the brash Maria Marais nor his eccentric music teacher came out of it with any credit. They were, however, an excuse for superb Corot like landscapes and ravishing viol music. Some of this music by Marin Marais was played by the Lachrimae Consort in their recital in St Stephen's Church last Sunday night.

In La Sonnerie de Sainte Genevieve du Mont by Marais, inspired by the bells of Paris, the three members of the consort, Xavier Julien Lafarriere (baroque violin), Philippe Foulon (viola da gamba) and Emer Buckley (harpsichord), wove a rich tapestry of sound and accomplished the little miracle of making the music of some 300 years ago comprehensible and appealing. Of even greater appeal was a suite of five dance like pieces by Marais for viola da gamba and harpsichord, and one could only marvel at the dexterity of Philippe Foulon.

The viola da gamba is the perfect partner for the harpsichord in continuo work, allowing harpsichord and violin to sing out unimpeded, as they did in Jean Marie Leclair's Sonata in D, Op. 6, No. 8.

After that French music came Italian, beginning with Alessandro Scarlatti's Variations on La Follia for solo harpsichord, rendered with clarity and elegance by Emer Buckley. Then came Albinoni's Sonata for violin in E minor, which acted as a sort of interlude before the opulent textures of Corelli's Variations on La Follia.