No matter what the musical selection, any disc featuring
Jordi Savall is almost certainly self-recommending, if you like the repertoire. And so it is with this 2007 release, Les Grandes Eaux Musicales de Versailles (The Splendid Musical Fountains of Versailles), with
Savall leading
Le Concert des Nations, his handpicked Baroque chamber orchestra, in selections from music played at that fabulous château during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. As always with
Savall's recordings, the program is fascinating. Divided into seven sections, the repertoire juxtaposes full orchestra works by
Lully with chamber music by
François Couperin, as well as more intimate works by
Marin Marais and
Sainte-Colombe. The varied selection mixes the ceremonial with the intimate, the entertaining with the involving, and the well-known with the nearly unknown. As is always true with
Savall, the musicianship is at an almost impossibly high level. Not only do the musicians perform with the kind of easy virtuosity that marks the best chamber orchestras from any period, they play with the energy, enthusiasm, and affection that mark the best ensembles in any genre. Any selection here, from
Marais' intensely inward Muzette to
Lully's magnificent Marche pour la Cérémonie torque, is a delight, and should entice the listener to savor this disc. Alia Vox's sound is rich, warm, round, deep, detailed, and uncannily present.