Une fête baroque!
Music by Jean-Philippe RAMEAU, Jean-Baptiste LULLY, Henry PURCELL and
George Frideric HANDEL
Full track details at end of review.
Le Concert d’Astrée/Emmanuelle Haïm
rec. live, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris, 19 December 2011. DDD.
Texts not included.
VIRGIN CLASSICS 7307992 [75:33 + 78:38]
This 2-CD set, recorded to mark the tenth anniversary of Le Concert d’Astrée,
is not, as you may think – as, indeed, I first thought – a sampler from their
back catalogue. It’s a recording of a concert given by them at the Théâtre
des Champs-Elysées in Paris in December 2011 to celebrate the event and to
raise money for the charity ‘Cancer Revolution 2010-2013’. We have, in fact,
already had a sampler of the music from their regular recordings on a 2-CD
album entitled Handel Arias and Duet, coupling performances from
the Concert d’Astrée back catalogue with those of other artists and released
in 2009 for the Handel centenary celebrations (Virgin 6960352 – see
review).
In spite of some very minor individual reservations, only those lovers of
baroque music who react negatively to the Concert d’Astrée’s manner or who
dislike live recordings with some applause – and even some ‘audience participation’
– are likely to be put off. The soloists are a mixed bunch in terms of their
credentials as baroque specialists; some, like Natalie Dessay, a baroque singer
who’s also at home in Richard Strauss; Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos
– see review
of DVD, Virgin Classics 6418679, and Philippe Jaroussky clearly are. Others
aren’t, but there’s nothing here that’s seriously unstylish: Anne Sofie von
Otter, for example, a less frequent visitor to the baroque, sings in a convincing
style in Quelle plainte en ces lieux m’appelle? from Hippolyte
et Aricie (CD1, track 3) for example.
The first CD opens with a rousing performance of colourful music from Les
Indes Galantes. It’s so good that I hope that the Concert will record
the whole work some time – and that’s true of all the music here that they
haven’t already recorded. Christopher Purves in the Cold Scene from Purcell’s
King Arthur with its uncanny foretaste of Vivaldi’s Winter
(CD1, tr.18) is as convincing as on any version of this semi-opera that I’ve
heard.
Emmanuelle Haïm explains in the notes that it would have been impossible to
offer an overview of their recorded repertoire, so they wisely concentrated
on ‘the composers who guided [their] first steps and to whose music [they]
return from time to time.’ That means neglecting Monteverdi, for example,
in favour of Rameau, who takes the major share of CD1, Lully, Purcell and,
most of all Handel, whose music ends the first CD and takes up the whole of
the second. As far as I can see, just one item performed at the concert, from
Handel’s early Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, has been omitted from the
recording.
Haïm’s recordings of Handel have not met with universal acclaim: Robert Hugill
found much to admire and enjoy in her live recording of la Resurezzione,
for example, but disliked some of the solo vocal contributions from singers
not chiefly known as specialists in baroque music: Virgin 6945670, 2 CDs –
see review;
for a more positive review of one of their live concerts, see Seen and Heard
review.
Sara Mingardo sings Maria Cleophas’s aria Piangete, sì piangete from
this work on track 6 of CD2 and, whilst she’s not solely a baroque specialist,
with Berlioz, Verdi and Bizet roles to her credit, she’s far from unknown
in this field. Her performance here is stylish enough and it certainly pleased
the audience.
Rolando Villazon gets an even bigger round of applause on the next track for
his Ciel e terra from Tamerlano. He has already sung this
aria with the Gabrieli Players and Paul McCreesh on an all-Handel recital
which received something of a mixed reception from Göran Forsling (DG 477
8056 – see review).
His singing on the Virgin set is undoubtedly beautiful and accomplished enough
to appeal to an audience of non-specialists and I think it will have the same
appeal for most general listeners, though specialists may have some doubts.
With such a large roll-call of distinguished soloists, whom I’ve itemised
in the track-listings below – they fill the stage in the double-page spread
photograph on pages 18-19 of the booklet – so ably supported by choir, orchestra
and above all Haïm herself, this is well worth having. If it’s your first
exposure to these composers, you’ll want to follow up its purchase. You may
be hard put to know where to begin and that’s where the back reviews of MusicWeb
International can help. Click the ‘search’ button and type in the name of
the composer and work which has grabbed your fancy. If it’s Rameau’s Les
Indes Galantes, for example, there’s a wonderful DVD recording of the
complete work to which Jonathan Rohr awarded Recording of the Month
status (Opus Arte OA0923D – you’ll find his review here).
Back in the day, you were either a Lully or a Rameau supporter but today we
can enjoy the music of both. There’s music from only one Lully work on Une
fête baroque, so I’m also going to recommend a recent recording of orchestral
suites from three of Lully’s operas to which I’ve been listening from the
Naxos Music Library:
Jean-Baptiste LULLY Phaëton, Atys et Armide Ouvertures avec
tous les Airs
Ouverture avec tous les Airs à jouer de l’Opéra de Phaëton [24:54]
Ouverture avec tous les Airs à jouer de l’Opéra d’Atys [14:22]
Ouverture, Chaconne et tous les autres Airs à jouer de l’Opéra d’Armide
[23:21]
Barockorchester Capriccio/Dominik Kiefer (leader) – rec. March 2011. DDD
Pdf booklet included
TUDOR 7185 [62:38]
These suites from three of Lully’s operas are taken from the four-part arrangements
published by Estienne Roger in Amsterdam between 1697 and 1712, which is how
Lully’s music came to be known outside France. They should appeal to any lovers
of French baroque music, even those not especially enamoured of singing –
it’s Lully without tears, as it were, for them. With excellent performances
– different instrumental figurations for each of the operas – and recording
and a valuable set of notes, this is strongly recommended. If only Tudor had
given us a more interesting cover all would have been perfect. As it is, I
enjoyed this very much.
Those are follow-up suggestions, but the 2-CD 10th anniversary
set under consideration is an ideal place to start, with a wealth of wonderful
music, performances that are likely to disappoint very few listeners – chiefly
those who already know that they don’t like the Concert d’Astrée manner –
and recording to match. If the documentation is more noted for style than
for substance, that’s my only real reservation about a set which I enjoyed
hearing: I could easily have foregone some of the many colour photographs
in the booklet for the sake of having the texts and a more detailed set of
notes. Even though this set is offered effectively as 2-for-1, that’s no excuse
for the omission: some less expensive offerings manage to contain texts.
Brian Wilson
CD 1
Jean-Philippe RAMEAU (1683-1764)
Les Indes galantes, Opéra-ballet (1735) - Les Sauvages,
nouvelle entrée de 1736, scène 6: Danse du Calumet de la Paix et
duo ‘Forêts paisibles’ [5:22]
Natalie Dessay (Zima); Stéphane Degout (Adario)
Hippolyte et Aricie, Tragédie lyrique (1733) Quelle plainte en
ces lieux m’appelle? [4:32]
Anne Sofie von Otter (Phèdre)
Dardanus, Tragédie lyrique (1739) La descente de Vénus [1:20]
Calme des sens, Prologue Act 2 [1:42]
Tambourins [1:24]
Hippolyte et Aricie: Rossignols amoureux [6:09]
A la chasse, à la chasse [3:23]
Jaël Azzaretti (la bergère); Aurélia Legay (la chasseresse)
Dardanus: Monstre affreux, monstre redoutable [4:18]
Stéphane Degout (Anténor)
Platée, Ballet-bouffon (1745) Formons les plus brillants concerts
[5:49]
Patricia Petibon (la folie)
Hippolyte et Aricie: Bruit de tonnerre [1:15]
Castor et Pollux, Tragédie lyrique (1737) Tristes apprêts
[4:50]
Karine Deshayes (Télaïre)
Dardanus: Chaconne [6:00]
Les Indes galantes: Régnez, plaisirs et jeux [3:28]
Sonya Yoncheva (Zima)
Dardanus (1744 version) Lieux funestes [5:16]
Paix favorable, paix adorable [3:45]
Topi Lehtipuu (Dardanus); Françoise Masset (Phrygienne); Stéphane Degout (Phrygien)
Jean-Baptiste LULLY (1632-1687)
Thésée, Tragédie lyrique (1675) Ouverture et marche [1:26]
Vivez contents dans ces aimables lieux [2:49]
Jaël Azzaretti (Cléone); Françoise Masset (Aeglé); Stéphane Degout (Arcas)
Henry PURCELL (1659-1695) King Arthur or the British
Worthy, Z628 (1691) What Power art thou [3:23]
Christopher Purves (Cold Genius)
Come, ye Sons of Art, Z323 (Birthday Ode for Queen Mary, 1694)
Sound the Trumpet [4:50]
Pascal Bertin, Philippe Jaroussky (counter-tenors)
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Rinaldo, HWV7a (1711) In quel bosco di strali… Al trionfo del
nostro furore [4:22]
CD 2
George Frideric HANDEL
Rinaldo: Lascia ch’io pianga [5:27]
Laura Claycomb (Armida); Lorenzo Regazzo (Argante); Ann Hallenberg (Almirena);
Agrippina (1709) Come nube che fugge dal vento [4:10]
Renata Pokupic (Nerone)
Dixit Dominus, Psalm, HWV232 (1707) De torrente via bibet
[4:23]
Natalie Dessay, Karine Deshayes (sopranos)
Il Delirio Amoroso, Cantata, HWV99 (1707) Un pensiero voli in
ciel [6:35]
Magali Léger (Clori)
La Resurezzione, Oratorio, HWV47 (1708) Piangete, si, piangete
[3:45]
Sara Mingardo (Maria Cleofe)
Tamerlano, Opera in 3 acts, HWV18 (1724) Ciel e terra armi di
sdegno [3:36]
Rolando Villazón (Bajazet)
Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV17, Opera in 3 acts, HWV17 (1724) Son
nata a lagrimar [8:18]
Anne Sofie von Otter (Cornelius) Philippe Jaroussky (Sesto)
Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno, Oratorio, HWV46a (1707) Voglio
tempo per risolvere [4:08]
Jaël Azzaretti (Bellezza); Ann Hallenberg (Piacere); Marijana Mijanovic (Disinganno);
Topi Lehtipuu (Tempo)
Giulio Cesare: E pur così in un giorno… Piangerò
[7:41]
Sandrine Piau (Cleopatra)
Rinaldo: Venti turbini [3:46]
Philippe Jaroussky (Rinaldo)
Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, Cantata a tre, HWV72 (1708) Benchè tuoni
e l’etra avvampi [3:13]
Delphine Haidan (Galatea)
Giulio Cesare: Che sento… Se pietà [9:51]
Natalie Dessay (Cleopatra)
Theodora, Oratorio, HWV68 (1750) How strange their ends
[4:20]
Messiah, Oratorio, HWV56 (1742) Hallelujah [5:02]
With such a large roll-call of distinguished soloists so ably supported by
choir, orchestra and above all Haïm herself, this is well worth having.