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Lalande: Suites pour les soupers du Roy on CD

Herve Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel are paying tribute to Michel-Richard de Lalande, who died 300 years ago: 'Louis XIV's master of music, renowned for his sacred music and numerous divertissements, was also a remarkable composer of symphonies,' says Herve Niquet. Niquet imagines 'a rehearsal at Lalande's home as he prepared his latest compositions for the King's supper. And Massialot, his cook and maître d'hôtel, not only brought him food and drink, but also read him numerous letters and newspapers delivered by mail coach." In addition to the suites and caprices, we therefore hear a "delightful" letter from the Princess Palatine, wife of Monsieur, the King's brother, and a drinking song from 1683, entitled Pourquoi boirions-nous de l'eau? This colourful album confirms that in aristocratic France of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, "the most exquisite refinement coexisted quite unashamedly with the most unabashed vulgarity" (Francoise Rubellin).