In her debut recording for harmonia mundi, Lucile Boulanger explores the facets of Antoine Forqueray's career as a virtuoso instrumentalist: adept in a wide range of Italian repertoire and skilled at transcribing works originally intended for the violin, he could try it on for size, as it were, before settling on a different medium. With the viola da gamba, he extended the technique of playing it far beyond the norm, confronting the performer with fiendishly difficult challenges… which have been met brilliantly by the hugely talented foursome heard here.

Michele Mascitti [1664-1760]

Sonata a Violino solo e Basso op. 1 n° 2
sol mineur / G Minor / g-Moll

1 I. Adagio   2'19
2 II. Allegro   2'19
3 III. Largo   2'44
4 IV. Allemanda   2'54
5 V. Giga Allegro   1'48
Antoine Forqueray [1671-1745]

6 Suite n° 2
sol mineur / G Minor / g-Moll
IV. La Leclair   2'16
Jean-Marie Leclair [1697-1764]

Sonate pour violon et basse continue n° 2, op. 9
mi mineur / E Minor / e-Moll

7 I. Andante. Dolce   2'54
8 II. Allemanda. Allegro ma non tropo   4'36
9 III. Sarabanda. Adagio   4'07
10 IV. Minuetto. Allegro non tropo   2'20
Robert de Visee [c.1656-ap.173]

11 La Venitienne de Mr. Fourcroy   3'41
Arcangelo Corelli [1653-1713]

Sonate pour violon op. 5 n° 3 (transcrite pour viole de gambe)
Ut majeur / C Major / C-Dur

12 I. Adagio   2'45
13 II. Allegro   2'10
14 III. Adagio   3'52
15 IV. Allegro   1'10
16 V. Allegro   2'47
Antoine Forqueray [1671-1745]

Suite n° 4
sol mineur / G minor / g-Moll

17 La Marella. Vivement et marque   2'39
18 La Clement. Noblement et detache   4'20
19 Sarabande La D'aubonne   4'39