Arts & Events

Perennial favorite Jordi Savall returned to Berkeley on Friday evening, March 4, 2022, under the auspices once again of Cal Performances. This time, Jordi Savall was joined by the ensemble he and his late wife, Montserrat Figueras, founded many years ago, Le Concert des Nations. For this concert the music offered came from the 1992 film by Alain Corneau Tous les Matins du Monde. This beautiful film, with an imaginative scenario by Pascal Quignard, dealt with the relations between the reclusive master viola da gambist Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (ca. 1640-ca.1701) and the young Marin Marais (1656-1728), whom Sainte-Colombe reluctantly agreed to tutor. So gifted was the pupil that Marin Marais quickly rose to become principal violist in the court orchestra of Louis XIV at Versailles, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Lully. For this film, Jordi Savall directed and performed the music of Sainte-Colombe, Marais, Lully, Couperin, and others. Quite remarkably, the film Tous les Matins du Monde enjoyed huge international success. Moreover, a recording of the original sound track of this film became a hit among music buffs, thus expanding interest in early classical music. For the March 4 concert at Berkeley’s First Congregational Church, Le Concert des Nations was comprised of director Jordi Savall on seven-string viola da gamba; Manfredo Kraemer on violin; Charles Zebley on flute; Marco Vitale on harpsichord; Lucas Harris on theorbo and guitar; and Philippe Pierlot on seven-string viola da gamba. Opening the concert the musicians performed a Suite from the opera Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme by Jean-Baptiste Lully, composed for the play by Molière. Featured was ceremonial music for the Turks, and for this music, Lucas Harris played guitar, and Philippe Pierlot offered frequent pizzicato accompaniment to the ensemble. Next came the work entitled Le Retour, from the Concert XLI for two violes by Sainte-Colombe. The burnished tones of the two violas da gamba melded beautifully as they exchanged musical motifs in lively interaction.  

The third piece performed was a selection from Marin Marais’s 3rd and 4th books for Viola da gamba. Accompanied by harpsichord and theorbo, Jordi Savall and Philippe Pierlot offered delicate filigrees on violas da gamba and capped the selection with a vigourous finale entitled La Sautillante. Following this selection the full ensemble offered works by François Couperin from royal concerts at Versailles of 1722 and 1724. Especially noteworthy were the slow, dolorous Plaintes pour les Violes, exquisitely performed here by Jordi Savall and Philippe Pierlot. Then we heard excerpts from Marin Marais’s 2nd book of Pièces de Viole, accompanied by harpsichord and theorbo. For the conclusion of these selections, Lucas Harris switched from theorbo to guitar. Next came a work entitled Les Regrets by Sainte-Colombe. Here tears and joy alternated.The final work on the printed program was the immensely popular Sonnerie de Sainte-Genevieve du Mont-de-Paris by Marin Marais. In this beautiful work, the instruments pay homage to the ringing of the church bells at Église Sainte-Geneviève in Paris’s Latin Quarter. Included in this work is a lively interchange between violin and flute, admirably performed here by Manfredo Kraemer and Charles Zebley, over a repeated basso continuo motif from the two violas da gamba.  

For encores, Jordi Savall introduced a celebratory piece by 18th century French composer Philidor in honor of a noble childbirth, which featured Charles Zebley playing piccolo. Further, Savall introduced a lively second encore of two dances by iRameau.