大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores Desmarets and Boismortier's theatrical leanings, with music from Didon and the comic opera Don Quichotte 脿 Dulcin茅e

Born a generation apart, Boismortier and Desmarets are perhaps lesser known figures of the French baroque, but together they provide a fascinating picture of life and music-making in the reigns of the Sun King and Louis XV after him.

Boismortier鈥檚 success came from what seems to be a natural ability to keep his finger on the pulse: his music followed all the latest trends and styles. He made a small fortune supplying music to the amateur market. They were works that fall cleverly under the fingers, and he advanced his profits by publishing them for any number of different combinations of instruments. That鈥檚 not to say he didn鈥檛 dip his toe into deeper waters: he wrote cantatas, motets and stage works, of which the comic opera about Don Quixote is probably the best known. After a golden career in 1753 at the age of 63, Boismortier retired to enjoy life on a beautiful estate 45 minutes outside Paris.

That kind of material comfort was not to be Henri Desmarets鈥檚 destiny. Born in 1661, he started out as a page at the Sun King鈥檚 court. What was shaping up to be a promising career fell off the tracks after he eloped with one of his pupils. Her furious father got an order for his arrest, arranged for him to be attacked in the street, and dragged him through the courts. The furore finally ended when the couple fled into exile. In his absence Desmarets was condemned to death. He eventually settled at the Court of Lorraine. There鈥檚 little doubt his fall from grace had a detrimental effect on his reputation. His operas and masses show him to be a talented and innovative composer. He was one of the very first composers known to have written for double choir and orchestra.

After a hit with his tragedy 鈥淒idon鈥�, Desmarets quickly came up with a series of operas. Boismortier鈥檚 channelled his theatrical aspirations into comedy, inspired by his attendance at the lavish parties held in the Duchess of Maine's country palace at Sceaux.

Desmarets: Didon
Infortun茅 que dois-je faire?... (Act 5, Sc 1)
A Nocte Temporis
Reinoud Van Mechelen, tenor & director

Desmarets: Th茅ag猫ne et Charicl茅e
Ma vertu c猫de au coup (Act 4, sc 1)
Reinoud Van Mechelen (tenor and director)
A Nocte Temporis

Desmarets: Mass for 2 choirs and 2 orchestras (excerpt)
La Capella Reial de Catalunya
Le Concert des Nations
Jordi Savall, director

Boismortier: Troisi猫me suite de pi茅ces de clav茅cin
Beatrice Martin, harpsichord

Boismortier: Les voyages de l鈥檃mour
Doux sommeil (Act 4, sc 2)
Chantal Santon Jeffery, soprano
Orfeo Orchestra
Gyorgy Vashegyi, conductor

Boismortier: Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse
First divertimento (Act 1, excerpt)
Marche, Chantons tous un h茅ros indomptable鈥�. Arr锚te! Tu poursuis en vain
Richard Biren, Sancho Panza, baritone
Stephan Van Dyck, Don Quixote, tenor
Marie-Pierre Wattiez, the Peasant Girl, soprano
Meredith Hall, Altisidore, soprano
Paul Gay, Merlin, bass-baritone
Le Concert Spirituel
Herv茅 Niquet, director