Pièces en solitude Caroline Nicolas & Kevin Payne

• Marin Marais (1656 - 1728): Suite No. 7 in G Major from Pièces de Viole, Livre III:
• 1 Marais: Suite No. 7 in G Major from Pièces de Viole, Livre III: No. 92, Prelude 02:12
• 2 Marais: Suite No. 7 in G Major from Pièces de Viole, Livre III: No. 94, Allemande & No. 95, Double 04:12
• 3 Marais: Suite No. 7 in G Major from Pièces de Viole, Livre III: No. 99, Sarabande Grave 03:56
• 4 Marais: Suite No. 7 in G Major from Pièces de Viole, Livre III: No. 105, La Musette 03:04
• Le Badinage in F-Sharp Minor from Pièces de Viole, Livre IV. No. 87:
• 5 Marais: Le Badinage in F-Sharp Minor from Pièces de Viole, Livre IV. No. 87 04:53
• Le Sieur de Mach: Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole:
• 6 Mach: Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole: I. Prelude 03:34
• Marin Marais: Suite No. 4 in D Major from Pièces de viole, Livre III:
• 7 Marais: Suite No. 4 in D Major from Pièces de viole, Livre III: No. 55, Plainte 04:33
• Suite No. 1 in A Minor from Pièces de viole, Livre III:
• 8 Marais: Suite No. 1 in A Minor from Pièces de viole, Livre III: No. 11, Prelude 03:20
• 9 Marais: Suite No. 1 in A Minor from Pièces de viole, Livre III: No. 1, Fantaisie 01:07
• 10 Marais: Suite No. 1 in A Minor from Pièces de viole, Livre III: II. Allemande 02:26
• 11 Marais: Suite No. 1 in A Minor from Pièces de viole, Livre III: No. 3, Courante 01:41
• 12 Marais: Suite No. 1 in A Minor from Pièces de viole, Livre III: No. 8, Minuet & No. 9, Autre 02:07
• Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe: Chaconne in D Minor, Tounus 49:
• 13 Sainte-Colombe: Chaconne in D Minor, Tounus 49 04:23
• Antoine Forqueray (1672 - 1745): Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole avec la basse-continue:
• 14 Forqueray: Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole avec la basse-continue: I. Allemande (La Borde) 05:23
• 15 Forqueray: Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole avec la basse-continue: II. La Forqueray 02:41
• 16 Forqueray: Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole avec la basse-continue: III. La Cottin 03:28
• 17 Forqueray: Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole avec la basse-continue: IV. La Bellemont 03:46
• 18 Forqueray: Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole avec la basse-continue: V. La Portugaise 03:10
• 19 Forqueray: Suite No. 1 in D Minor from Pièces de viole avec la basse-continue: VI. La Couperin 03:09
• Marin Marais: Suite No. 3 in D Major from Pièces de viole, Livre II:
• 20 Marais: Suite No. 3 in D Major from Pièces de viole, Livre II: No. 63, Les Voix humaines 04:24
• Total Runtime 01:07:29

Info for Pièces en solitude

Viola da gambist Caroline Nicolas makes her solo debut recording featuring compositions by eminent figures of the French baroque era: Marin Marais, Antoine Forqueray, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe and Le Sieur de Machy.

New York City-based viola da gambist Caroline Nicolas is one to watch – a captivating performer and “one of the finest gambists working today” (Gotham Early Music Scene). With her star rapidly in the ascendent, Caroline has performed with ensembles including The English Concert, Kammerorchester Basel and Philharmonia Baroque, and collaborated with the likes of Jordi Savall, William Christie and Kristian Bezuidenhout.

For her solo debut recording, Caroline brings out the big guns of the viola da gamba repertoire from France’s defining era of the instrument – the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Pièces de viole were integral to the French instrumental baroque, and Caroline’s programme leads with selections by the master of the genre, Marin Marais. For contrast, Caroline juxtaposes the first Suite by the iconoclastic Antoine Forqueray, and in between offers a pair of amuse bouche, an intricate Chaconne by Marais’ tutor, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, and a Prelude by the pedagogue Le Sieur de Machy. In keeping with French viol music’s nuance and relative restraint, Caroline is accompanied solely by theorbo, its complementary timbre reflecting the repertoire’s aesthetic.

Caroline Nicolas, viola da gamba
Kevin Payne, luth

Caroline Nicolas
Acclaimed cellist and gambist Caroline Nicolas maintains an active career spanning repertoire from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. Praised for her “eloquent artistry and rich, vibrant sound” (Gainesville Times) and hailed as “one of the finest gambists working today” (Gotham Early Music Scene), she performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician, and music director, combining emotionally compelling interpretations with a historically informed spirit.

Caroline has collaborated with ensembles including The English Concert, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Ars Lyrica Houston, Juilliard Baroque, Harmonia Stellarum, Philharmonia Baroque, Pacific MusicWorks, Kammerorchester Basel, the New World Symphony, and the Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein. She recently concluded her tenure as music director of New Baroque Orchestra. She has appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival, Indianapolis Early Music Festival, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Bach Festival Leipzig, and Styriarte Festival in Austria. She has performed in major venues such as KKL Luzern, Berliner Philharmonie, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Benaroya Hall. Her broadcasts include KING FM, KUHF, WDIY, and CCTV.

Notable collaborators include Andrea Marcon, Amandine Beyer, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Jordi Savall, William Christie, Rachel Podger, Harry Bicket, and Stephen Stubbs. A former fellow of The English Concert in America and winner of The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance Concerto Competition, she made her solo debut at Alice Tully Hall.

A native of Winnipeg, Canada, Caroline began studying cello at an early age. Drawn to early music, she pursued advanced studies with Phoebe Carrai at The Juilliard School and with Christophe Coin and Paolo Pandolfo at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel. She now resides in New York City, where she serves as Artistic Director of Ars Poetica. When not performing, she enjoys reading, writing, solving crosswords, or watching Star Trek with her husband, lutenist Kevin Payne.

Booklet for Pièces en solitude