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The Garden Party,<\/em><\/p>\n The Marais Project\/ Move Records<\/em><\/p>\n Celebrating two decades of professional music making, The Marais Project has released a new recording, The Garden Party <\/em>on the Move label, featuring fresh repertoire and new collaborators alongside some previously recorded pieces with older friends.<\/p>\n The Marais Project was founded by viola da gamba player Jennifer Eriksson, underpinned by the instruments and repertoire of Marin Marias (1656 \u2013 1728), the outstanding virtuoso French composer and viola da gamba player. As well as championing the repertoire of Marais, Eriksson and her protean ensemble, comprising singers and other instrumentalists, have performed and recorded a rich treasury of music by Marias\u2019 contemporaries. While maintaining a healthy respect for historical performance, the ensemble has also kept old forms alive with newer arrangements played on younger instruments giving them a contemporary perspective, as well as creating completely new works bringing the centuries old viola da gamba into present times.<\/p>\n Eriksson\u2019s collaborators on this project include the cream of Australia\u2019s early music performers, \u00a0Belinda Montgomery (soprano), Catherine Upex (viola da gamba) and Tommie Andersson (theorbo and baroque guitar) with Susie Bishop (violin and voice), Pascal Herrington (tenor), Fiona Ziegler (baroque violin), Melissa Farrow (baroque flute), Emily-Rose \u0160\u00e1rkova (piano accordion and arranger), Danny Yeadon (viola da gamba), Chris Berensen (harpsichord) and Elsen Price (double-bass).<\/p>\n The Garden Party<\/em> is a winning collection of 9 pieces with 19 tracks amounting to just under an hour of music. The mood is sometimes gentle, sometimes brimming with the jollity of the masque and sometimes full of medieval melancholy, with touches of jazz, swing and Latino idioms. It includes two world premiere recordings, The Garden Party <\/em>(Eriksson) and the Suite in E minor,<\/em> Pi\u00e8ces de viole, 4\u00e8 livre<\/em> by Marin Marais, arranged by \u0160\u00e1rkova.<\/p>\n The opening piece is The Garden Party<\/em>, a composition by Eriksson herself, after which the album is named, inspired by the Feste Champetr<\/em>\u00ea<\/em> from Marais\u2019 Suitte d\u2019un Go<\/em>\u00fb<\/em>t <\/em>\u00c9tranger. <\/em>Although in a minor key, the ensemble gives the piece an upbeat, dance-like charm, played by the combination of violin, viola da gamba, piano accordion, baroque guitar and double bass. The longest piece on the recording, this multi-movement work is rich with motifs from jazz, oriental modes and imitation. The constantly varying texture is created by the instruments in turn, taking solo passages, accompaniments and connecting phrases.<\/p>\n Marin Marias\u2019 inspiration continues with three other works on the album. The Suite in E minor <\/em>Pi\u00e8ces de viole, 4 \u00e8 livre<\/em> is arranged by Emily-Rose \u0160\u00e1rkova for viola da gamba and piano accordion in a simple but effective combination. The second movement of the Suite is especially interesting as the piano accordion takes on the melody and therefore the baroque ornamentation, sounding not unlike a baroque portative organ. The accordion then retires to the continuo role as Eriksson\u2019s viola da gamba takes the theme and embellishments.<\/p>\n Marais\u2019 Suite no 2 in G minor,<\/em> Pi\u00e8ces en Trio <\/em>is from a previous recording Sm\u00f6rg\u00e5sbord! <\/em>This trio sonata features a beautifully blended quartet of flute, violin, theorbo and viola da gamba with the violin and flute playing the themes against the foil of the theorbo and gamba. Virtuoso ornamentation and singing phrases make this a delightful choice.<\/p>\n Marais\u2019 third contribution is the Suite in G minor<\/em> Pi\u00e8ces de viole, 5 \u00e8 livre<\/em> which sparkles with a deft performance from Eriksson as soloist with a second gamba playing continuo, theorbo and harpsichord.<\/p>\n Paying homage to her Scandinavian heritage, Eriksson recruits her compatriot, theorbo player Tommie Andersson in a reprise from the album Sm\u00f6rg\u00e5sbord!<\/em> of the Swedish folk song Om sommaren sk\u00f6na<\/em>, whose lyrics date from the 17th<\/sup> century and tune from the 18th<\/sup> century. Tenor Pascal Herrington and the ensemble comprising flute, violin, theorbo and gamba give a mesmerising account of this tranquil ballad.<\/p>\n