French Baroque Music

[Drasko]

A short note on this disc, I believe that at least drasko was interested to hear about it.

Thanks for the write up.

Have to say I'm intrigued to hear the result of deriving petit motet out of grand one, can't remember if there is any other recording of that practice.

But seems like big missed opportunity to record both, the grand motet and the petit one derived from it, especially if latter is but 35 minutes long. That would be really interesting to hear.

[Mandryka]

What do you guys think of Louis Marchand's keyboard music?

[prémont]

What do you guys think of Louis Marchand's keyboard music?

Finding his organ music rather bland, I haven´t explored his harpsichord music that much, and what I have heard didn´t prompt me to continue.
Have you got any recommendations?

[Drasko]

What do you guys think of Louis Marchand's keyboard music?

I've heard only one or two harpsichord pieces included on Sempe's mixed French recital. Not particularly memorable, but anyhow far too little to have an opinion of any sort. As I understand he was more important and rated as organist and composer for that instrument.   

[Drasko]

This sounds pretty decent actually

http://www.youtube.com/v/oepgNWOk-Gg

[milk]

I've heard only one or two harpsichord pieces included on Sempe's mixed French recital. Not particularly memorable, but anyhow far too little to have an opinion of any sort. As I understand he was more important and rated as organist and composer for that instrument.

I quite like this, though it's a while since I've spent time with it:

[Mandryka]

I don't have any enthusiastic suggestions for Marchand unfortnately. I noticed he's been quite frequently recorded but somehow nothing I've heard has ever caught my imagination. I was hoping that smeone would talk him up a bit.

Gillian Weir maybe is the best I can come up with. She's the best I've heard do an extended selection.  She uses an interesting and clourful organ (St Maximin Thionville, which had been restored to something like 18th century style)

On harpsichord I've got nowhere with his music - maybe Haugsand is the most memorable I've heard but still . . .

[Mandryka]

I don't have any enthusiastic suggestions for Marchand unfortnately, certainly not on harpsichord,  I noticed he's been quite frequently recorded but somehow nothing I've heard has ever caught my imagination. I was hoping that smeone would talk him up a bit.

Gillian Weir maybe is the best I can come up with. She's the best I've heard do an extended selection.  She uses an interesting and clourful organ (St Maximin Thionville, which had been restored to something like 18th century style)

On harpsichord I've got nowhere with his music - maybe Haugsand is the most memorable I've heard but still . . .

[Peter Power Pop]

I wish I'd thought of that - brilliantly put, PPP.

Thanks.

I was sent a review copy of Les Fêtes de Paphos when it was released, but failed to appreciate it at the time. Now, approaching Mondonville after immersion in Rameau and his precursors, I can only wonder why I was so obtuse.

The first time I heard Les Fêtes de Paphos I was annoyed, and kept thinking, "Hey, this sounds just like Rameau. What a rip-off!" But then after I got used to it I realised that throughout history there must have been plenty of second-tier composers, doing their best to write in the style of the most successful composers of the day, probably because they were asked to. After that I cut Mondonville some slack, and viewed him more with sympathy than irritation.

You have his Grands Motets, I assume?

I do.

I'm listening to them now (I'd heard them only once before, and had forgotten them), and I must admit I prefer them to Rameau's. To me, they're more... solemn. I think they're more in keeping with how a motet should be (to my ears, anyway). When I'm listening to Rameau's motets I always get the feeling that the motet form was uncomfortable for him, and that he'd rather be off writing another opera or tinkering with his treatise on harmony.

One thing I like very much about this disc is that William Christie's conducting is more relaxed here than in a lot of his Rameau recordings (he's a bit too hard-driven in Rameau for my liking). I think it's one of William Christie's best CDs.



http://www.youtube.com/v/E2jNjb7p4wc



Update: I just discovered there's another disc of the Grands Motets. This one's conducted by Christophe Coin. Time to investigate.

[Cosi bel do]

It is one of Christie's best recordings. He did a lot of them though
Unfortunately, after listening to these Mondonville motets many times, I grew a little tired of them. They are really lovely but Mondonville was no Rameau

[Peter Power Pop]

It is one of Christie's best recordings. He did a lot of them though

Yep. Ol' Baroque Bill sure is a productive chap. ("Quick, let's record another album before the record company's finished releasing the last one.")

Unfortunately, after listening to these Mondonville motets many times, I grew a little tired of them. ...

Fair enough.

... They are really lovely but Mondonville was no Rameau

No, but I reckon Monsieur M got awfully close with Les Fêtes de Paphos.

[Moonfish]

Yep. Ol' Baroque Bill sure is a productive chap. ("Quick, let's record another album before the record company's finished releasing the last one.")

[king ubu]

Not opera, but I love all those other Christie recordings ... Mondonville, Lully, Charpentier, whatever. Since the thread is derailing anyway, let me add an urgent recommendation for this, before we return to opera:
http://www.analekta.com/en/album/?beausejour-luc-mondonville-pieces-de-clavecin-avec-voix-ou-violon-opus-5.1444.html

[Peter Power Pop]

Not opera, but I love all those other Christie recordings ... Mondonville, Lully, Charpentier, whatever. Since the thread is derailing anyway, ...

Oops. I forgot that's what this thread is about. (Note to self: It's right there in the title, Peter.)

Sorry about that.

I'll try to stay on topic.

... let me add an urgent recommendation for this, before we return to opera:
http://www.analekta.com/en/album/?beausejour-luc-mondonville-pieces-de-clavecin-avec-voix-ou-violon-opus-5.1444.html

I haven't heard that CD. Actually, come to think of it I haven't heard any of Mondonville's Pièces de clavecin avec voix au violon at all, so I've no idea how good/bad/yay!/ewww! that album is.

At least someone on YouTube has uploaded a Pièce so I can have a listen. (Thank you, someone on YouTube.)

It isn't from that new album. This is from the first recording of the Pièces, with Edit Károly (soprano), Balázs Bozzai (violin), and Miklós Spányi (harpsichord):

http://www.youtube.com/v/bVF474gSpik

That's a busy harpsichord.

Anyway, the Pièces de clavecin avec voix au violon is a rubbish French Baroque opera. The orchestra is tiny, there aren't any arias, and I can't follow the story at all.

[king ubu]

I have the Spanyi recording as well ... love those pieces - actually they can be played by harpsichord only or with added violin and/or voice - the voice being wordless which makes for an eerie effect ... fun stuff, but I guess I like Mondonville somewhat better than many/most.

[Peter Power Pop]

I have the Spanyi recording as well ... love those pieces - actually they can be played by harpsichord only or with added violin and/or voice - the voice being wordless which makes for an eerie effect ... fun stuff, but I guess I like Mondonville somewhat better than many/most.

I liked what I heard in that YouTube video. I wonder if eBay has that CD nice 'n' cheap...

[Peter Power Pop]

Not opera, but I love all those other Christie recordings ... Mondonville, Lully, Charpentier, whatever. Since the thread is derailing anyway, let me add an urgent recommendation for this, before we return to opera:
http://www.analekta.com/en/album/?beausejour-luc-mondonville-pieces-de-clavecin-avec-voix-ou-violon-opus-5.1444.html

Wow. In addition to the new Analekta CD and the earlier one featuring Edit Károly, I just found this on eBay:



Who knew there'd be three versions of Mondonville's Pièces de clavecin avec voix ou violon available on CD?







Update: And another one. This time it's William Christie and co.:



So that makes four.

[Peter Power Pop]

Hang on a minute - wasn't this thread called "French Baroque Opera"?

Has the name changed?

Am I posting in the wrong place?

Is my memory even worse than I thought?

What's going on here?

[king ubu]

Thanks Que for cleaning up the mess we made here!
Actually shouldn't you also move the posts on the "grand motets" and other non-operatic (or operatic in gesture but not in form) music as well? Or is the split between vocal and instrumental?

As for Mondonville, part of the Christie recording is in the Lumières box and that is how I found out about the music in the first place! I grabbed the Spányi and Beauséjour discs as a consequence (and they're both good enough that I never felt I need the entire thing from Christie as well, even though I'm generally a fan of his).

[Cosi bel do]

Yesterday was made the special William Christie day on french radio France Musique 

A few very nice videos were posted after that !

Gaspard Leroux, Pièces pour clavecin : Suite en ré (Sarabande, Menuet et Passepied)
http://dai.ly/x28upg9

Lambert : « Iris n'est plus, mon Iris m'est ravie » (Paul Agnew)
http://dai.ly/x28vxh7

Lambert : « Vos mépris » (Paul Agnew)
http://dai.ly/x28vxyc

Nicolas Bernier : Diane et Endymion, duo « O nuit c'est à tes voiles sombres » (Elodie Fonnard, Marc Mauillon)
http://dai.ly/x28vxe4

Campra : Le Triomphe de la Folie, « Que vois-je ? Quel objet ? » (Elodie Fonnard, Marc Mauillon)
http://dai.ly/x28v7zy