A subtle war of styles raged in the salons and concert halls of 18th century France. Whereas the official line prescribed a strictly French musical etiquette, foreign influences were increasingly permeating homegrown repertoire. Composers found ingenious ways to disguise the revolution: Couperin’s L’Espagnole conceals Italian lyrics under a Spanish title, Rameau’s Troisième concert smuggles folk rhythms in among the elegant melodies and in Telemann’s Sixième quatuor, refinement and exoticism are as thick as thieves. With historical insight and infectious energy, the young ensemble Pseudonym, winner of the 2024 International Young Artists’ Presentation (IYAP), re-ignite these seductively subversive scores.
Program
F. Couperin: L’Espagnole from Les Nations | J.P. Rameau: Troisième concert, RCT 9 | G.P. Telemann: Sixième quatuor, TWV 43:e4
Performers
Liane Sadler, traverso | Maya Webne-Behrman, violin | Stephen Moran, viola da gamba | Gabriel Smallwood, harpsichord