Antoine Forqueray was a favoured bass viol player at Louis XIV's court. He was also a gifted composer for his instrument but, it would seem, an extraordinarily unpleasant family man, being instrumental in securing a gaol sentence for his son on trivial charges. The son, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine, appears to have borne his father no grudge, both assisting him in the editing of his music and, after his death, bringing out an anthology in his father's name. This collection, published in 1747, was presented in two versions, one for bass viol and continuo, the other for solo harpsichord. Though Forqueray fils claimed that only three of the pieces were by him it may well be that some others were products of his pen. It is from this anthology that Skip Sempe and Jay Bernfield have built their programme which includes pieces both for viola da gamba and for harpsichord alone. The three pieces which Forqueray fils acknowledged as his own have been omitted.
Bass viol players will not need to be reminded of the excellence of this music; to others, however, it may come as something of a revelation. Some of the pieces, such as the sensuous La Regente are surely worthy to stand alongside those of his contemporary Marais. This ravishing music which at times strongly recalls passages in Couperin's Les Barricades Misterieuses must indeed have pleased the Regent—whom Forqueray pere numbered among his pupils—if, indeed he ever heard it. In La Regente and La Laborde, both played here on viola da gamba and harpsichord, the French side of the stylistic coin is uppermost, but often elsewhere Italian influences are to the fore. But, as with so much French instrumental music of this period, it is the subtle blends and juxtapositions of the two manners which exercise the liveliest play on our imagination.
Both players are fluently versed in the syntax of French baroque style and their programme has been constructed with a view to revealing the varied colours and gestures of the music. Among the solo harpsichord pieces are subtle tributes to three of Forqueray's greatest contemporaries, Couperin, Rameau and Leclair. These in themselves are almost sufficient to commend the disc to me, but there is plenty more besides to beguile the senses. Sometimes I felt the need for nobler statements from the viola da gamba but it is a small issue when so much else is first-rate. Fine recorded sound. Recommended.'