~ Baroque Opera ~

[Peter Power Pop]

Seems like an excellent selection. Might get some myself.

Q

And I can thoroughly recommend adding this to your list:

La Guirlande / Zéphyre (Les Arts Florissants / William Christie)


They're two works that are classified as actes de ballet, but they're really two miniature operas. (It's a 2-CD set, with La Guirlande on one, and Zéphyre on the other.) The stories are slight, but the music is gorgeous. And William Christie's conducting in both pieces is relaxed. (He usually has a habit of being hard-driven.)

[betterthanfine]

Thanks a lot, Peter! Not really sure what I'm looking for in Rameau, but I've been listening to recordings by Sabine Devieilhe and Carolyn Sampson lately, and find them extremely appealing. Dramatic heft is always good, but so far it's the glorious tunes that have piqued my interest. I just realised I have that Castor & Pollux in the big Harmonia Mundi Lumières box, so I'll definitely give that one a spin today, and go for Les Fêtes d'Hébé or Les Boréades next probably.

By the way, I take it you're a Christie fan?

[The new erato]

Add this amazing DVD:



with Pauls Agnew's glorious performace as the frog princess:

[JCBuckley]

I shall check it out - thank you. On a related topic, I believe that the DVD of the recent Glyndebourne production of Handel's Saul is coming out soon. Not strictly an opera, I know, but it was a spectacularly dramatic show.

[Peter Power Pop]

Add this amazing DVD:



with Pauls Agnew's glorious performace as the frog princess:

For an audiovisual introduction to Rameau, I'd recommend Les Indes galantes first. Paul Agnew's great performance notwithstanding, to me Platée doesn't have the instant appeal of other Rameau operas.

Les Indes galantes (Les Arts Florissants / William Christie) DVD


Here's some of the music from Les Indes galantes:

https://www.youtube.com/v/e2WPa-l-PmI

[Peter Power Pop]

Thanks a lot, Peter!

No problem.

Not really sure what I'm looking for in Rameau, but I've been listening to recordings by Sabine Devieilhe and Carolyn Sampson lately, and find them extremely appealing. Dramatic heft is always good, but so far it's the glorious tunes that have piqued my interest.

For me, it's the combination of melodies and harmonies that sets Rameau apart from all other Baroque composers. The orchestration is amazing.

I just realised I have that Castor & Pollux in the big Harmonia Mundi Lumières box, so I'll definitely give that one a spin today, and go for Les Fêtes d'Hébé or Les Boréades next probably.

I don't recommend Castor et Pollux as a first stop for Rameau operas. It's not the most tuneful Rameau opera – but it does have the stunning aria, "Tristes apprêts, pâles flambeaux":

Rameau: Castor et Pollux - (Agnès Mellon [sop]; Les Arts Florissants / William Christie)
https://www.youtube.com/v/joJ37aNBdnE

I'd go with Les Indes galantes. It's an overload of glorious tunes.

By the way, I take it you're a Christie fan?

I'm not much of a fan. It's just that he basically has a monopoly on recordings of Rameau operas. In Rameau, I prefer almost any other conductor, mainly because I find Christie too hard-driven most of the time. He's considered the world's foremost authority on Rameau, so I'm not in a position to say "Yes, but..."

For the record (tee hee), my favourite conductor of Rameau is Frans Brüggen. He lets the music breathe, and (to me) makes it sound like the greatest music ever written. Unfortunately, he never recorded a Rameau opera, only ever orchestral suites from the operas. Otherwise, I'd be recommending every Rameau recording by Frans Brüggen and his Orchestra of the 18th Century.

For example, get a load of this:

Rameau: Les Boréades, Acte IV - Entrée (Orchestra of the 18th Century / Frans Brüggen)
https://www.youtube.com/v/OmOXl17ibDc

[JCBuckley]

I'm not much of a fan. It's just that he basically has a monopoly on recordings of Rameau operas.

I'm not sure that 'monopoly' is quite the right word any more - in recent years there have been some fine Rameau recordings from Niquet, d'Hérin, Reyne, Pichon and Rousset.

[Jo498]

Minkowski did Hippolyte et Aricie (and at least one more) and Harnoncourt Castor & Pollux These two are the only complete ones I have but cannot claim that I know them, bought them on some binge years ago but never listened to them all through...

As far as Suites go, in addition to Brüggen's Indes Galantes I'd recommend the two-disc-set with Savall. Among the most colorful and attractive music I know.

[Peter Power Pop]

As far as Suites go, in addition to Brüggen's Indes Galantes I'd recommend the two-disc-set with Savall. Among the most colorful and attractive music I know.

Here's the album on Spotify:

Rameau: L'Orchestre de Louis XV (Le Concert des Nations / Jordi Savall)
https://play.spotify.com/album/1jstSqjS4CuyggOMqbvyUm

And here's the gang doin' their thing live:

https://www.youtube.com/v/nkvDniqFWUk

[Monsieur Croche]

Add this amazing DVD:



with Pauls Agnew's glorious performace as the frog princess:

A stunning production and performance:  Agnew is startlingly good!  If you like / love Rameau, this is a run, don't walk non-decision... 'just do it.'  lol.

[The new erato]

A stunning production and performance:  Agnew is startlingly good!  If you like / love Rameau, this is a run, don't walk non-decision... 'just do it.'  lol.

Som true. Amazingly. I also saw him do, with Les Arts Florissants, the best Monteverdi madrigal performance ever last year. So different from the antics in Platee, and WHAT a singer!

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Did a search on this forum and found threads about French opera and threads about baroque opera, but none about French baroque opera.

Honestly, I am not an opera lover, although when I was younger I went through a Verdi phase and a bit of a Wagner and Handel phase. I just have too many other musical interests these days (organ, piano, choral, chamber, lieder, some symphonies, jazz, ethnic music), and I am generally quite uninterested in plots, characters and the like.

Anyway, I would like to explore some French baroque opera, as I really love the instrumental music of Rameau, Lully, Couperin, Grigny, et al. I think this would be enjoyable for my commute. Any suggestions (especially inexpensive ones) would be appreciated!

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I am giving this fascinating thread a bump.

I expect The New Erato to give wine pairings for each of the French operas discussed here. (although I will be listening mostly in my car as a way to distract from my commute through the bowels of HELL A).

I also found a Castor et Pollux performance with Gerard Souzay. Anything with him is a must have IMO.

[The new erato]

I expect this to be very good as well as cheap (but haven't heard it), there's an ongoing offer on Harmonia Mundi on mdt:



I remember driving thorugh the vineyards in the Loire in 2002 listening to Charpentiers Medee bought in the FNAC shop in Beaune.

[Que]

I expect this to be very good as well as cheap (but haven't heard it), there's an ongoing offer on Harmonia Mundi on mdt:

[asin]B01GQWV9AK[/asin]

I remember driving thorugh the vineyards in the Loire in 2002 listening to Charpentiers Medee bought in the FNAC shop in Beaune.

Looks good!  Do you know if this series comes with full texts?

Q

[The new erato]

I don't know but I guess not. At a tenner on mdt I guess I can forgiver them....

[Que]

I don't know but I guess not. At a tenner on mdt I guess I can forgiver them....

You're right: I went to Amazon to check out the fineprint on the back cover: "Liner notes in French, English, German".
So, that's commercial speak for: no libretto....

Q

[The new erato]

At least the story is known from Mozart.

[JCBuckley]

You're right: I went to Amazon to check out the fineprint on the back cover: "Liner notes in French, English, German".
So, that's commercial speak for: no libretto....

Q

I have HM's reissue of Cavalli's Giasone, and I'm sure the format for Idoménée will be the same - track listing, essay and synopsis only.

[JCBuckley]

Did a search on this forum and found threads about French opera and threads about baroque opera, but none about French baroque opera.

Honestly, I am not an opera lover, although when I was younger I went through a Verdi phase and a bit of a Wagner and Handel phase. I just have too many other musical interests these days (organ, piano, choral, chamber, lieder, some symphonies, jazz, ethnic music), and I am generally quite uninterested in plots, characters and the like.

Anyway, I would like to explore some French baroque opera, as I really love the instrumental music of Rameau, Lully, Couperin, Grigny, et al. I think this would be enjoyable for my commute. Any suggestions (especially inexpensive ones) would be appreciated!

My no. 1 recommendation: