A beautiful collection of works, performed with virtuosity, style and grace.

Melbourne Recital Centre
July 21, 2015

Early music ensemble Latitude 37 is dedicated to performing music of the 17th and 18th centuries played on period instruments. This program, L’Esprit d’Elégance, collected together six works from the court of France’s famous Sun King, Louis XIV (who ruled for an extraordinary 72 years until his death in 1715), and his successor Louis XV. Lesser-known composers were included alongside pillars of the French Baroque, producing an exciting, nuanced and captivating hour of music. This was further enhanced by the relaxed and informative introductions to each piece provided by the three members of Latitude 37: Julia Fredersdorff (baroque violin), Laura Vaughan (viola da gamba) and Donald Nicolson (harpsichord).

Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729) was a harpsichordist of such prodigious ability that she was accepted into the French court while still in her teens. Renowned for her ability to improvise at considerable length, she became a significant composer who worked in a variety of forms. As Julia Fredersdorff noted, Jacquet de La Guerre’s works are rarely performed, an omission that Latitude 37 is redressing with the inclusion of her sumptuously lyrical five-movement Violin...