Love and Libations: Julie Pinel and Airs of France

La Donna Musicale explores the distinctive contributions of Parisian women composers to the French Baroque and Rococo secular genres of airs sérieux: serious songs with subjects such as love, politics, and pastoral scenes, and airs à boire: drinking songs to make merry with libations such as wine.

These song forms celebrate passionate longing and self-indulgent inebriation. Our featured composer is Julie Pinel, with several selections from her 1737 publication Nouveau recueil d’airs. We also include music composed by other little known Parisian women and sonatas and trio sonatas by the celebrated Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre.

This program highlights the luxurious environment of an intimate Parisian salon, replete with the sounds of voices in solo and duo settings, along with flute and violin accompaniment, and supported by the captivating tones of the harpsichord and viola da gamba.

Performers:

Daniela Tosic, mezzo-soprano
Fausto Miro, tenor
Na’ama Lion, flute
Julia Connor, violin
Katherine Shao, keyboards
Laury Gutiérrez, viola da gamba