The French Connection

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For this program we trace the evolution of French courtly music with rarely heard renaissance chansons by Etienne Moulinié and Pierre Guedron to the high baroque of Marin Marais, Sainte-Colombe and Jean-Philippe Rameau. This is a rare opportunity to hear brilliant young bass viol player Joshua Keller (USA), performing virtuosic pièces for bass viol.

You might like to arrive with a touch of French courtly attire - perhaps a glittering jewel, a lacy jabot (necktie) or a craftily placed mouche (beauty patch/small pox concealer). Prix for the most elegant! Profitez d’un thé l’après-midi. (Enjoy a French afternoon tea.)

More about the program

The early French chanson with its charming nonchalance and tinge of melancholy was also performed outside of France, at the cosmopolitan courts of Mary Queen of Scots, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. French music was highly valued, not merely as entertainment but also for its diplomatic influence. For Charles I and Henrietta a new trend arose, where French “ditties” such as those by Guedron were ‘Englished’ (performed with English texts).

Throughout the 18th century, Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes was performed hundreds of times, as an opera-ballet and in arrangements for other musical ensembles. Its enormous success could be partly attributed to its sophisticated, catchy melodies but also to the public’s fascination with its themes of ‘savages’ and slavery. A generation earlier, the English feminist writer Aphra Behn also achieved much success with her novel and play about an African slave leader: Oroonoko or The Royal Slave. Behn was criticised in her time but later celebrated for writing about sexuality from a woman’s point of view, such as in her poem The Dream. We perform Brooke Green’s setting for her imaginary court, in celebration of this abolitionist and humanitarian pioneer.

Joshua Keller, bass viol (Guest Artist)

Joshua Keller is an avid performer and teacher of viol, lirone, and cello. After studying viola da gamba with Wendy Gillespie and Hille Perl, Josh embarked on an international performance career. He has performed in the early music festivals of Bruges, Bremen, Bloomington, Regensburg, Thüringen, and in the opening ceremonies of the Utrecht Early Music Festival. Early and modern orchestras alike continue to invite him to play the viol solos of Bach’s Passions. He has worked with Opera Theater St. Louis, Opera Studio Netherlands, Opera NEO San Diego, and Scherzi Musicali (BE) playing lirone. He maintains a private teaching studio, teaches viol at the University of Memphis, and cello at the Memphis Music Academy. Joshua also maintains an active local music life playing in chamber ensembles, and recording at local studios. He has recorded with Josh Lee, Masaaki Suzuki, and Música Ficta. Beyond music, Josh loves rollerskating, practicing Pilates and his two boxers, Margot and Hiram.

*Joshua Keller's visit to Australia is generously supported by The Australian Viola da Gamba Society

Performer biographies