Festival's dazzling musical dance through life of ballet pioneer Marie Sallé
Newbury Spring Festival: Ensemble Molière at The Corn Exchange on Monday, May 9. Review by CHARLES MEDLAM
The first of the Headley Trust’s Lunchtime Recitals for Young Artists featured Ensemble Molière. Based in London, they specialise in the historically-informed performance of baroque music on period instruments and contain musicians from Japan, the UK and Germany.
Their programme broadly followed the life of Marie Sallé, one of the most important choreographers and dancers of the early 18th century, and a pioneer of the ballet d’action (narrative ballet).
Every court in Europe had used dance for hierarchical display (eg Elizabeth I and her pavans), but Louis XIV weaponised it further as a sophisticated political tool.
His appearance at court as the ‘Sun King’ at the age of 14 was a dynastic statement, which all around him were forced to take seriously. France and dance would be forever linked.
Ensemble Molière’s concert opened fittingly with Campra’s Ouverture to his opera Tancrède, dispatched with style and accuracy. Three entrées from Handel’s opera Alcina followed; the good dreams, the bad dreams, and the fight between the good and bad dreams, in turns dreamy, grotesque then mouvementé.
An entertaining suite from Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes, transcribed for the forces at their disposal by group harpsichordist Satoko Doi-Luck, was full of fascinating sounds and heart-felt gestures.
Handel’s suite Terpsichore, written for Marie Sallé to dance at Covent Garden in 1734, elicited some dazzling playing in the highly contrapuntal overture, and some fine shaping of the paragraphs in the lengthy final chaconne.
Jean-Féry Rebel’s Les Caractères de la Dance is a compendium of a dozen or so dances en vogue in Louis XV’s Paris, including a memorable musette with bassoon solo.
A quick run through all of these would serve you well before going out to a ball.
Ensemble Molière play with intelligence, precision and an obvious and infectious love of their music.
Each piece was engagingly introduced by a different ensemble member, enhancing the already persuasive contact made with their audience.
I am certain that everyone present will be wishing them every success in their endeavours.
