大象传媒

Donald Macleod continues his focus on French composers, inspired by this month鈥檚 鈥楾our de France鈥� cycle race. Today Donald takes a peek backstage at the Paris Opera as Rameau would have known it.

"I have followed the theatre since the age of twelve", so said Rameau to a young composer who wrote to him for advice. It's an intriguing insight into a man who didn't produce his first opera until the age of fifty. Quite why it took him that long isn't clear. Up to that point he had been a church musician, following in his father's footsteps, holding a succession of posts mainly in the South of France. He also taught and established himself as a theoretician of some note. A brief, early sojourn in Paris, a mecca for any theatrical hopeful, ended abruptly when he was still in his twenties. It wasn't until he returned to Paris in 1723 that Rameau was able to start writing music for theatrical entertainments, at first for the popular Fairs, and then finally in 1733 for the Paris Opera. In the midst of constant cultural rows over the merits of French and Italian operatic style, Rameau flourished as a theatre composer. At one point he was so successful the management of the Paris Opera decreed no more than two of his works should be mounted per season, to allow other composers to get a look in! He completed his final opera, a masterpiece, Les Bor茅ades in 1763, the year before he died at the age of eighty. Across the week Donald Macleod focuses on this remarkable period in Rameau's life, from the first of his theatrical works to his last.

As members of a permanent ensemble employed by the Opera, Rameau was fortunate in being able to write music for some of the most celebrated voices of the day, among them the high tenor, Pierre J茅lyotte and the soprano Marie Fel.

Overture to 鈥淒ardanus鈥�
Orfeo Orchestra
Gy枚rgy Vashegyi, conductor

Castor et Pollux , Act 2
Que tout g茅misse que se tout s鈥檜nisse
Tristes appr锚ts, p芒les flambeaux
Emmanuelle de Negri, soprano, T茅laire
Ensemble Pygmalion
Rapha毛l Pichon, director

Castor et Pollux, Act IV, Sc 3
Rentrez, rentrez dans l'esclavage
Danse des Demons et des Furies
Air I pour les Demons et les Furies
Brisons tous nos fers
Air II pour les Demons et les Furies
Philippe Talbot, tenor, Mercure
Cl茅mentine Margaine, mezzo soprano, Ph茅b茅
Florian Sempey, baritone, Pollux
Ensemble Pygmalion
Rapha毛l Pichon, director

Dardanus, Act I Sc 1:
Cesse, cruel Amour, de regner sur mon 芒me
Judith van Wanroij, soprano, Iphise
Orfeo Orchestra
Gy枚rgy Vashegyi, conductor

Dardanus, Act 2, Sc 3
Air
Nos cris ont penetre jusqu au sombre s茅jour
Obeis aux lois des enfers
Thomas Doli茅, baritone, Ism茅nor
Orfeo Orchestra
Gy枚rgy Vashegyi, conductor

Dardanus, Act IV, Sc 1
Lieux funestes
Cyrille Dubois, tenor, Dardanus
Orfeo Orchestra
Gy枚rgy Vashegyi, conductor

Les fetes d'H茅b茅 (excerpts)
Prologue: Air gracieux pour Zephir et les Graces
Prologue: Vole Zephir, H茅b茅 t'appelle
Premiere Entree: Tambourins I-II
Troisi猫me Entr茅e, Sc 5 : Air: Une tendre berg猫re
Deuxi猫me Entr茅e : Pour le g茅nie de Mars
Deuxi猫me Entree: La victoire
Deuxi猫me Entree: L'Hymen 鈥� Chaconne
Anne-Sophie Otter, mezzo soprano
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie, director