Stravaganza
Saturday July 20th - 9 pm / Church of Valloire
Angels and demons
by Stravaganza, direction Domitille Gilon
This is how Giuseppe Tartini relates the circumstances in which he composed his Devil’s Sonata: “One night, I dreamed that I had made a pact and that the Devil was at my service. Everything worked out perfectly according to my desires, and my wishes were anticipated at will by my new servant… The piece I then composed when I woke up was the best I ever did.”
As for Corelli, deemed as early as the 18th century the true “Orpheus of his time”, he is regarded as the real founder of the “classical” school of violin.
Everything seems to oppose Marin Marais and Antoine Forqueray: the former was said to play “like an angel”, whereas the latter, known in his day for his whimsical and bizarre disposition, was reputed to play “like a devil”.
Finally, the composer Jean-Marie Leclair, a man of unstable, querulous temper, was found stabbed to death in his home. The murder caused much emotion in Paris, “The Leclair case” was never solved, and the murderer never identified.
Ensemble Stravaganza
The ensemble Stravaganza essentially focusses on 17th and 18th-century chamber music for one or two dessus. Led by Domitille Gilon, violinist, and Thomas Soltani, harpsichordist, the musicians of the ensemble are all graduates of the most important European conservatoires (Conservatoire supérieur de musique et de danse in Lyon, in Paris, Conservatoire supérieur in Amsterdam). They regularly perform with prominent professional orchestras such as La Simphonie du Marais (Hugo Reyne), Sagittarius (Michel Laplénie), Fuoco e Cenere (Jay Bernfeld), Gli Incogniti (Amandine Beyer), Les Ambassadeurs (Alexis Kossenko), Pulcinella (Ophélie Gaillard), Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien (François Lazarevich) …
Released in 2012, the first recording of the ensemble Stravaganza, “Concert à la cour des Habsbourg” received enthusiastic reviews from the critics. The ensemble’s second recording, around Arcangelo Corelli’s trio sonatas, as well as the next, with soprano Hasnaa Bennani, were equally acclaimed by the specialist press. The flamboyant Baroque of northern Germany was given pride of place in “Abendmusiken”, a recording of the sonatas for two violins and viola da gamba by Buxtehude, Reinken, Erlebach, Theile. The ensemble’s latest recording released in October 2023, is a collection of various sonatas by Biber, Schmelzer, Mealli, Böddeker, in which the persistent presence of an ostinato highlights the virtuosity of the solo part.
Programme
Pieces by Giuseppe Tartini, Arcangelo Corelli, Marin Marais, Antoine Forqueray and Jean-Marie Leclair.
Distribution
Domitile Gilon, violin and artistic direction
Thomas Soltani, harpsichord and artistic direction
Simon Waddell, theorbo and Baroque guitar
Mathias Ferré, viola da Gamba
The ensemble is a member of FEVIS and receives the support of Adami, of the Conseil Général et Régional P.A.C.A and of the city of Digne les Bains on account of its educational activities.