La famille Forqueray: Portrait(s) Justin Taylor

• 1 Prelude non mesure en Re Mineur 01:16
• 2 Allemande La Laborde 05:01
• 3 La Forqueray 03:16
• 4 La Cottin 03:53
• 5 La Bellmont 03:17
• 6 La Portugaise 03:15
• 7 La Couperin 04:39
• 8 La superbe ou la Forqueray 05:12
• 9 I. Allemande (Transcribed for Solo Harpsichord by Justin Taylor) 04:31
• 10 II. Courante (Transcribed for Solo Harpsichord by Justin Taylor) 02:32
• 11 III. Sarabande (Transcribed for Solo Harpsichord by Justin Taylor) 03:55
• 12 La Forqueray 04:48
• 13 La Rameau 04:46
• 14 La Guignon 04:00
• 15 La Leon (Sarabande) 04:32
• 16 La Boisson 03:56
• 17 La Montigni 05:36
• 18 La Sylva 05:43
• 19 Jupiter 04:58
• Total Runtime 01:19:06

Info for La famille Forqueray: Portrait(s)

Justin Taylor, the winner of the 2015 edition of the celebrated harpsichord competition of the Musica Antiqua Festival in Bruges (which has honoured some of the world's finest players, including Scott Ross, Christophe Rousset, Pierre Hantaï, Benjamin Alard, and more recently Jean Rondeau), has recorded for Alpha Classics a programme of music by the Forqueray family: Antoine, Michel, Jean-Baptiste, Nicolas-Gilles . . . Those are just some of the first names of a great dynasty of French composers, gambists and organists. Antoine Forqueray, born in 1672, obtained the highly coveted position of Musicien de la Chambre du Roi. He subsequently had, shall we say, a complicated relationship with his son Jean-Baptiste, born in 1699 . . . Envious of the boy's talent for the viol, Antoine had him imprisoned when he was just sixteen years old!

The recital, as well as painting a musical portrait of this unique family, also offers a chance to reflect on the issue of transcription. In fact, the suites performed here on the harpsichord were originally written for viola da gamba. The passage from one instrument to another, from one soundworld to another, sheds new light on the music and allows us to grasp its full originality.

Justin Taylor, harpsichord

Justin Taylor
began studying the harpsichord at the age of eleven in his hometown, Angers, with Françoise Marmin. His passion for this instrument induced him to continue his studies with Olivier Baumont and Blandine Rannou at the CNSM (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique) of Paris, to which he was unanimously accepted in 2011. In order to enhance his approach to the harpsichord, he studied piano with Roger Muraro at the CNSM of Paris, and he has also earned the superior degree in musical analysis at the same institution.

In 2015, he earned his Master’s degree in harpsichord with highest honours and “unanimous congratulations”. The same year, he won First Prize at the Musica Antiqua International Harpsichord Competition in Bruges, Belgium, where he also received the Audience Prize, the Alpha Prize (for a recording under this prestigious label), and the European Union Baroque Orchestra Developing Trust Prize, which is awarded to the most promising young European baroque musician. Justin is supported by the Safran Foundation.

From the onset of his studies, Justin Taylor was invited to participate as the harpsichordist in concerts directed by Vincent Dumestre, Patrick Cohën-Akénine, and Julien Chauvin. His love for the baroque chamber music repertory incited him to create The Taylor Consort, an ensemble now in residency at the Singer-Polignac Foundation in Paris. In addition, his duo with the violist Salomé Gasselin won second prize in the International Chamber Music Competition in San Ginesio (Italy) in 2014. He was selected as the harpsichordist for the OFJ-B (Orchestre Français des Jeunes—Baroque) for the year 2015.

As a soloist, Justin Taylor has played at the Paris Philharmonie with the Orchestre National d’Île de France, at the Hôtel de Soubise in Paris (the Young Talents Festival), at the Rendez-Vous de Rochebonne, as well as at Les Invalides, where he interpreted C.P.E. Bach’s double concerto for harpsichord and pianoforte. The young harpsichordist has already performed on several France Musique radio programs, such as Génération Jeunes Interprètes (Gaëlle Le Gallic) or L’air des lieux (Stéphane Grant).This year, he will perform in many European cities, including Cambridge, Brussels, Antwerp, Potsdam, Stockholm, and Paris… His first solo recording, with the Alpha label, will draw a portrait of the Forqueray family.

Booklet for La famille Forqueray: Portrait(s)