Who was André Campra?
Campra was the son of an Italian surgeon and violinist and a French mother. He went on to be music master at Arles and Toulouse cathedrals from where he moved to the famed Notre Dame cathedral, Paris. In a radical move for the time, he added violins to the sacred performances at Notre Dame. He composed secular theatrical pieces under his brother’s name, a strategy he had to undertake to protect his reputation as an ecclesiastical (church) composer. Campra pioneered the opéra-ballet genre and was widely admired in both sacred and secular realms. He died in Versailles in 1744. Our concert on October 16 will be the first time we have performed one of his works.
As some will be aware, The Marais Project is in its 17th consecutive year of exploring music for the viola da gamba – with a particular emphasis on the works of Marin Marais and the French Baroque. I must admit, when I started the ensemble in 2000 with the aim of playing the complete works of Marin Marais, I thought I would finish the job in two or three years and move on to another challenge. Three things have kept me going. The first is the wonderful musicians I have worked with. The second is the seemingly inexhaustible well of music – much of it French – that we have discovered along the way. This upcoming program is no exception. It is so good to have Mikaela Oberg back with us again and to have Anna Sandström join us for the first time. Together we have assembled a program of little known gems which I hope you will enjoy.
André Campra is joined by other neglected luminaries such as Jean-Marie Leclair, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and, of course, Marin Marais.
Date: Sunday 16th October, 2016
Time: 3.00pm
Venue: Sydney Conservatorium, Macquarie St, Sydney
Cost: $35/20; http://www.classikon.com/concerts/marais-project-sydney-16-oct-2016/ ph 9809 5185