Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Pièces de clavecin en concerts features the new and exciting period-instrument ensemble Baroque Nouveau (Charles Sherman, harpsichord; Anthony Martin, violin; Stephen Schultz, baroque flute; and Josh Lee, viola da gamba). All of these superb musicians perform with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and other specialist groups.

This repertoire is a collection of Rameau's most appealing, tuneful compositions with improvisational embellishments galore! We recorded this project in June 2008 at famed Skywalker Sound. - Reference Recordings

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)

Classical Music

With Les Indes galantes by Jean-Philippe Rameau, György Vashegyi – along with his Orfeo Orchestra and Purcell Choir – makes a further dazzling addition to their Glossa series of French dramatic masterpieces from the Baroque, and in the company of a luxurious line-up of vocal soloists. The version of this ballet heroïque – supplied with an anti-colonial, anti-clerical manifesto by librettist Louis Fuzelier – selected by Vashegyi is the 1761 revision, a mere decade or so before the irruption onto the Parisian musical scene of the likes of Gluck and Grétry. Rameau’s score had undergone frequent adjustments and improvements since its première a quarter of a century earlier, and the performing edition for this recording, prepared for the Rameau Opera omnia by Sylvie Bouissou (who also provides a booklet essay here), offers a vision of this work which is more theatrical, fluid and concise than hitherto. Just in themselves, the names of Chantal Santon- Jeffery, Katherine Watson, Véronique Gens, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Jean-Sébastien Bou and Thomas Dolié (sharing out the dozen solo roles) augur well for a glorious exploration of the prologue and three entrées ahead. Recently, they have also, in conjunction with the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, been working on questions of tempo and how to perform Rameau’s sequences as the composer intended. Vashegyi brings a consummate understanding of Rameau’s galante style to the proceedings, following two previous Ramellian Glossa outings (Naïs and Les Fêtes de Polymnie).

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