This recording presents, from the hands of one of the most appealing performers of her generation, harpsichord works by Jean-Philippe Rameau, leader of the French 18th century clavecin school. Céline Frisch's Bach interpretations and recordings have earned her great international music press acclaim. Her affinities also draw her to play French music of the Louis XIV era, the English Virginalists and German 17th century music. She also delights in exploring 20th-century and contemporary music.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Anders J. Dahlin, Evgueniy Alexiev, Sine Bundgaard, and Anna Maria Panzarella star in this Drottningholm production of the Rameau opera conducted by Christophe Rousset.

Anders J. Dahlen, Evgueniy Alexiev, and Sine Bundgaard star in this Drottningholm production of the Rameau opera conducted by Christophe Rousset.

To mark the 250th year of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s death, Ensemble Amarillis and tenor Mathias Vidal, leading French baroque repertoire performers, recorded this Rameau chamber music program in 2014 at Château de Versailles. Although his output consists essentially of operas, Rameau also wished to leave posterity a number of works in a more intimate style, such as those featured on this recording. The program presents two cantatas and two of the Pièces de clavecin en concert, thus reflecting Amarillis’s desire to set vocal eloquence alongside instrumental discourse.

In a stunning world premiere recording, music director and conductor Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, and an international cast of French Baroque opera stars present Jean-Philippe Rameau’s original 1745 version of Le Temple de la Gloire (The Temple of Glory), with libretto by Voltaire. Presented as a fully staged opera in April 2017, the three sold out performances enjoyed universal critical acclaim. The original manuscript had not been performed since 1745 and is housed at U.C. Berkeley’s Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library. Originally written to honor King Louis XV and commemorate the Battle of Fontenoy, the version of this ballet heroique that has been heard up until now is the second version which was substantially changed by Rameau to appease the King and Parisian tastes. Voltaire’s original libretto, used in these performances and recording, is a philosophical reform of opera: an allegory set around the idea of the temple of glory with moral and political overtones- making this original version not only more powerful but uniquely relevant, even today.

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REVIEWS:

There is some fine singing here. Marc Labonnette and Philippe-Nicolas Martin have been well schooled in the art of the French baritone, whilst Artavazd Sargsyan has that nasal tenor sound typical of French singers in his portrayal of Bacchus in Act II. He is especially good in his aria Érigone, objet plein de charmes, where his vocal range gets quite high. However, it is the four female singers who shine in this production. Chantal Santon-Jeffery’s portrayal of Lydie in Act I and La Gloire in Act III is particularly fine. I also like Camille Ortiz, who like most of the singers appears in more than one guise. She is particularly good when she sings the role of Érigone opposite Artavazd Sargsyan’s Baccus. Their shared recitative is a highlight of Act II. The Philharmonia Baroque Chorale are in fine voice. The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra are sparkling and add a lot to the production, especially in the dance numbers, all under Nicholas McGegan’s excellent direction.

– MusicWeb International

The text, by none other than Voltaire, is not without humor. Reconstructing the opera (this live production of the original 1745 version was partly inspired by the discovery of a detailed libretto) is a tall order, and this performance is welcome for that reason alone.

The performances convey the scope and color of Rameau’s score. The sound may be somewhat fair at best, but the performance and recording give a good idea of what this unique work was like, and you can hardly ask for more here. Illustrations in the substantial booklet convey more of the flavor of the original 2017 production.

– All Music Guide (James Manheim)

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683 - 1764) was born in Dijon two years before the births of Bach, Scarlatti and Handel. He is probably best known for his operas, but also wrote chamber music and over 60 works for harpsichord. These keyboard compositions, which he wrote between 1706 and 1728 and spread over three volumes, differ greatly from the style of his contemporaries. Rameau's intellectualism and technical brilliance of composition, allied with passion and tenderness combine, in his words, to produce 'true music... The language of the heart'. This release features pieces from three of the four suites Rameau wrote for the harpsichord. Virginia Black has selected these to illustrate Rameau's extraordinary talent in descriptive, innovative and often virtuosic writing, and to show how the piano can enhance the works through singing tone and tonal nuance.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Recorded in: Forde Abbey, Somerset 11-13 May 1999 Producer(s) Gary Cole Sound Engineer(s) Gary Cole

On this release, accordion virtuoso Teodoro Anzellotti dedicates himself to harpsichord pieces that he selected personally. Born in Apulia in southern Italy, Teodoro Anzellotti grew up near Baden-Baden. He pursued his accordion studies at the Hochschulen in Karlsruhe and Trossingen and quickly achieved victories at various international competitions. Since the 1980s he has been a regular guest at the major festivals and with leading orchestras. Teodoro Anzellotti has successfully contributed to integrating the accordion into the sphere of classical music. This has occurred principally through his service to New Music: through his development of performing techniques he has enlarged the tone-color capabilities and sonic profile of his instrument. More than 300 new works have been written for Teodoro Anzellotti, by composers such as George Aperghis, Brice Pauset, Heinz Holliger, Toshio Hosokawa, Mauricio Kagel, Michael Jarrell, Isabel Mundry, Gerard Pesson, Matthias Pintscher, Wolfgang Rihm, Salvatore Sciarrino, Marco Stroppa, J�rg Widmann und Hans Zender. Luciano Berio created for him his Sequenza XIII, which Mr. Anzellotti premiered in Rotterdam in 1995 and subsequently performed at major festivals worldwide. Since 1987 he has taught at the Hochschule der K�nste Bern, and since 2002 at the Musikhochschule Freiburg i'm Breisgau as well. His discography embraces a spectrum reaching from Bach and Scarlatti to Jan�cek and Satie to John Cage and Matthias Pintscher.