The Academy Baroque Soloists – Students from the Royal Academy of Music

Dans La Chambre Du Roi – Music for the Sun King by Lully, Rebel, and Montéclair

Directed by Anna Stegmann

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632 – 1687) Ouverture from Armide, Tragedie Mise en Musique, Paris (1676)
Jean Féry Rebel (1666 – 1747) Caprice – Fantasie
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1666 – 1737) Airs Champestres (selection) from Serenade ou Concert, Paris (1697)
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1666 – 1737) Air Tendres from Serenade ou Concert, Paris (1697)
Jean Féry Rebel (1666 – 1747) Boutade
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632 – 1687) Entrée, Menuet & Gavote, Gavote & Canaries, Passacaigle from Armide, Tragedie Mise en Musique, Paris (1676)

Michel Pignolet de Montéclair’s Sérénades offer a vivid snapshot of the musical life at the French court, capturing the festive atmosphere of royal balls through three distinct suites. With its elegant mix of recorders, oboes, and strings, this programme features his charming airs tendres and airs champêtres, evoking the grandeur and elegance of courtly occasions.
While simpler in instrumentation than the lush orchestrations of King Louis XIV’s appointed composer Jean-Baptiste Lully or his student Jean-Féry Rebel, Montéclair’s use of a single melodic line with bass accompaniment provides a refined yet accessible portrayal of early 18th-century French dance and courtly music.

Anna Stegmann is a dedicated performer and educator of early and contemporary recorder music. She is a recorder professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and a guest teacher at Wells Cathedral School. Anna has led workshops across the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia and co-organises the biennial Open Recorder Days Amsterdam since 2012. As a soloist and chamber musician she performs internationally with prominent ensembles, including La Risonanza (Fabio Bonizzoni), L’Arpeggiata (Christina Pluhar), and the Rotterdam Philarmonisch Orkest under Jordi Sawall. She has recorded multiple albums with her own groups Ensemble Odyssee and The Royal Wind Music, including award-nominated Cds with her duo with violinist Jorge Jiménez. In 2020, she launched a digital recital series to bring performances to global audiences.