I well remember the surprise with which in 1991 I learned that a film based on the life of the gambist­composer Sainte­Colombe had been made – a film‚ what is more‚ starring Gérard Depardieu as his upstart pupil Marin Marais! Even now I still cannot quite believe it‚ but am thankful to be reminded of it by Alia Vox’s re­release of the soundtrack CD masterminded by Jordi Savall. Tous les matins du monde is a visually ravishing but slow­paced film‚ and with little dialogue there is an important part for music to play. The story contrasts Marais’s desire to succeed at court with Sainte­Colombe’s ascetic concern for music alone‚ but it is the concentrated atmosphere engendered by the latter which dominates film and soundtrack alike; although the disc opens with a catchy rendition of Lully’s ‘Turkish’ March from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme‚ for the most part the rest of the disc occupies the more inward world of the solo gamba repertoire‚ taking in moving and thoughtful compositions such as Marais’s ‘La Rêveuse’ and Sainte­Colombe’s deeply affecting Les Pleurs. Being a soundtrack album‚ the programming is a trifle haphazard and has its functional moments (such as Savall’s one­minute ‘improvisation’ on the Folies d’Espagne‚ required for Marais’s audition scene)‚ but there are benefits too. Marais’s Sonnerie de Ste Geneviève‚ of which only a few notes are heard in the film‚ is here presented in full‚ as is Couperin’s achingly beautiful Troisième Leçon de Ténèbres. There are also two bonus items‚ including a gripping performance of Marais’s Tombeau pour Mr de Sainte­Colombe. Throughout‚ Savall shows himself to be a master worthy of these great viol­playing composers‚ his performances mixing tonal beauty with exquisite rhetorical control and a good dose of communicative magic. And‚ as so often‚ he is surrounded by some of the finest Baroque musicians‚ all of whom make contributions of notable high quality and help to make this a happy souvenir of a haunting and unusual film. Alia Vox has also provided a supplementary ‘10 years on’ CD which offers French Baroque repertoire from Savall’s more recent recordings‚ including some sprightly orchestral Lully performed by Le Concert des Nations (the Turks marching in again‚ this time slightly quicker)‚ and a good deal of Marais‚ including the complete version of Folies. The connection to the film is slight‚ but it is no less welcome for that.