Folie Douce (Sweet Folly): Renaissance Improvisations
The disc's title means "Sweet Folly," but the contents of this intriguing program would best be described as serious fun. The five-member Ensemble Doulce Memoire not only seeks to re-create the instrumental and vocal sounds that Renaissance figures such as Leonardo da Vinci and Henry VIII might have heard, but most importantly strives to emulate the improvisational techniques practiced by all accomplished musicians of the period. To do this, these French performers employ such instruments as Renaissance guitar, lute, cornett, recorder, harpsichord, and cittern, and they skillfully utilize improvisational methods reconstructed from descriptions found in various contemporary treatises. Most of the works on the program are dances by Michael Praetorius; these players really know how to "swing," embellishing each piece with snazzy ornamentation and creating music in truly "joyful spontaneity."--David Vernier