Discovered in the private library of the composer and collector Sébastien de Brossard, these sonatas shed a new light on the music of Louis Nicolas Clérambault, one of the most brilliant organists and composers of the early 18th century in Paris. A prolific composer, he also wrote a number of works written for the harpsichord, big and small court motets, several profane and allegorical cantatas and other romantic scenes which offer a lively insight into the mythological themes explored at the time.
Still in handwritten form, these sonatas are the first of their kind in France. Some of them have titles: Bliss, Abundance, The Impromptu, Magnificence, yet, these only seem to give certain pieces names without describing them in any great detail. The Clérambault sonatas appear to inherit the expression and virtue of writing of Corelli’s sonatas which France had only just discovered; they masterfully join this new turning point for French musicians at the time. Founded in London in 1996 by the violinist Nicolette Moonen, the Bach Players first explored the Sacred cantatas of the German composer which they recorded over twelve albums. This latest offering is the second of a pair dedicated to Brossard’s collection. © François Hudry/Qobuz