Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, a violinist at the court of Louis XV, was known by his contemporaries above all for his virtuosity, his impulsiveness, and also for his extravagant life style. A “rock star” of the eighteenth century, who in the end died with an injured soul and under mysterious circumstances: his body was found with fourteen stab wounds.... Yet Guillemain was much more than a passionate virtuoso. His two collections of Sonates en quatours — Œuvre XII (1743) and XVII (1756) — which both bear the designation Conversations galantes et amusantes, present musical images of the intellectually stimulating conversations at the court of Louis XV in Versailles and captivate with a then modern melodic structure and very demanding, innovative playing technique. Ensemble Barockin’ has risen to these challenges and recorded the nearly forgotten sonatas, including two world premieres, for RAUMKLANG. The international ensemble around artistic director Dmitry Lepekhov (German Record Critic’s Award 2011), with musicians from Russia, Japan, and France, are united in their dedication to historical performance practice. With their debut CD, they add another jewel to the repertoire of French late-Baroque chamber music.
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