Christopher Simpson - The Seasons, The Monthes & Other Divisions of Time II (Les Lucioles)

Information

Composer: Christopher Simpson

1. The Monthes: July
2. The Monthes: August
3. The Seasons, Summer: I. Fancy
4. The Seasons, Summer: II. Aire
5. The Seasons, Summer: III. Galliard
6. Division in D Minor
7. The Monthes: September
8. The Monthes: October
9. Duet for Two Division Viols in F Major
10. The Seasons, Autumne: I. Fancy
11. The Seasons, Autumne: II. Aire
12. The Seasons, Autumne: III. Galliard
13. The Monthes: November
14. Almain Solo in High Harp-Way Sharp
15. The Monthes: December

Les Lucioles

    Lucile Boulanger, treble & bass viol

    Myriam Rignol, bass viol

    Manon Papasergio, bass viol

    Gabriel Rignol, lute

    Elisabeth Geiger, keyboards

&

Josh Cheatham, 

Date: 2026

Label: Alpha Classics

_____________________

Two decades after the late violist Sophie Watillon recorded the first half of Christopher Simpson’s monumental cycle, violist Lucile Boulanger and her ensemble, Les Lucioles, complete the project with The Seasons, The Monthes & other divisions of Time - II. Honoring Watillon’s lasting influence as a profound inspiration, Boulanger joins artists including Myriam Rignol and Josh Cheatham to present Simpson's fantasies covering July through December along with the remaining seasons. Together, the musicians showcase the English theorist and composer’s intricate chamber works while highlighting the formidable virtuosity, expressive depth, and rich textural range of the viola da gamba.

English composer, teacher, and music theorist Christopher Simpson (c. 1602–1669) was widely celebrated as one of history's greatest viola da gamba virtuosos. A Royalist during the English Civil War, he spent much of his later life as tutor to the family of Sir Robert Bolles. As a composer, Simpson expanded the expressive and technical possibilities of the viol, particularly through his sophisticated developments in variation form. His masterly treatises, including The Division-Violist (1659) and The Principles of Practical Musick (1665), the latter enthusiastically praised by Henry Purcell, served as foundational guides for viol technique, improvisation, and composition for generations.

High Resolution 24-bit / 192 kHz