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Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Judith & Semele on CD

Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre was a virtuoso harpsichordist, as well as the author of many pioneering works. She left an abundant output of cantatas, both secular and sacred. Here the soprano Maïlys de Villoutreys, Héloise Gaillard and her Ensemble Amarillis pay tribute to her with the cantatas Judith and Sémélé, inspired by two women who embody virtue and courage on the one hand, temerity and pride on the other. Whether intimate or more operatic, both works highlight the composer's innate sense of drama. This recording also includes some of her instrumental works. The Suite in G major, from her Pièces de clavecin of 1707, is a pioneering work, representing the new genre of accompanied harpsichord music. Her Trio Sonata No.4, in a totally new instrumentation, shows the influence of Corelli, while the art of ornamentation in this, one of her finest achievements, is purely French.