Paul Figuier - Les Lucioles - Dowland, Purcell, Simpson...

Paul Figuier, countertenor Consort Les Lucioles Garance Boizot, tenor viol Myriam Rignol and Manon Papasergio, bass viols Lucile Boulanger, treble viol & direction

DOWLAND, PURCELL, SIMPSON...Music for viol consort & consort songs

The reign of Elizabeth I was a golden age for the arts, particularly for music. The viol held a central place in this blessed era: an instrument eminently suited to domestic practice, also cherished by aristocratic circles, it developed both in a solo repertoire and in pieces with dense counterpoint inherited from the great English polyphonists. The voice frequently joined the bows to bring out often magnificent texts, with the melancholy typical of a John Dowland or, later, the melodic beauty that was the hallmark of Henry Purcell. But it is also urgent to discover the art of Christopher Simpson, who produced, with The Seasons and The Months, genuine philosophical reflections on the passing of time.

Gathered around Lucile Boulanger, exceptional women musicians revive a sublime literature, made of refined yet bold harmonies, lovingly surrounding the subtle and eloquent singing of Paul Figuier.