Leclair, J.-M. / Blavet, M.: Flute Sonatas

Featuring

Małgorzata Wojciechowska
Mark Caudle
Lilianna Stawarz
Jean-Marie Leclair
Michel Blavet

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Historical Context

For a long time, French culture showed little interest in the music of other nations, particularly Italian music, due to aesthetic and political reasons stemming from Cardinal Mazarin's rule in the 1640s.

Compositional Technique

French composers, including Jean-Marie Leclair, used 'notes inégales' (uneven notes) to transform measured sequences of sounds into dotted figures, adding a specific flavor to the music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Jean-Marie Leclair and Michel Blavet belonged to the last generation of great French Baroque masters who combined French and Italian stylistic ideals, a concept championed by François Couperin as 'Les Goûts réunis'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

French music of the 17th and 18th centuries was characterized by lightness, refined elegance, and artistry, avoiding straightforward expression in favor of embellishment and an 'inexhaustible sweetness'.

Instruments

Michel Blavet is credited with initiating the true career of the transverse flute (flute traversiere or flute allemande) in France, elevating it to the status of a national instrument.

Historical Context

The 'Concert spirituel', a series of concerts initiated in 1725 by Françoise André Philidor and supported by the French aristocracy, played a crucial role in breaking down French antipathy towards foreign music.