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The Palais Royal

Donald Macleod continues his focus on French composers, inspired by July's Tour de France cycle race. Today, we follow Rameau backstage at the Paris Opera.

Donald Macleod continues his focus on French composers, inspired by this month’s ‘Tour de France’ 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 Boréades 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 Jélyotte and the soprano Marie Fel.

Overture to “Dardanus”
Orfeo Orchestra
György Vashegyi, conductor

Castor et Pollux , Act 2
Que tout gémisse que se tout s’unisse
Tristes apprêts, pâles flambeaux
Emmanuelle de Negri, soprano, Télaire
Ensemble Pygmalion
Raphaël 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
Clémentine Margaine, mezzo soprano, Phébé
Florian Sempey, baritone, Pollux
Ensemble Pygmalion
Raphaël Pichon, director

Dardanus, Act I Sc 1:
Cesse, cruel Amour, de regner sur mon âme
Judith van Wanroij, soprano, Iphise
Orfeo Orchestra
György Vashegyi, conductor

Dardanus, Act 2, Sc 3
Air
Nos cris ont penetre jusqu au sombre séjour
Obeis aux lois des enfers
Thomas Dolié, baritone, Isménor
Orfeo Orchestra
György Vashegyi, conductor

Dardanus, Act IV, Sc 1
Lieux funestes
Cyrille Dubois, tenor, Dardanus
Orfeo Orchestra
György Vashegyi, conductor

Les fetes d'Hébé (excerpts)
Prologue: Air gracieux pour Zephir et les Graces
Prologue: Vole Zephir, Hébé t'appelle
Premiere Entree: Tambourins I-II
Troisième Entrée, Sc 5 : Air: Une tendre bergère
Deuxième Entrée : Pour le génie de Mars
Deuxième Entree: La victoire
Deuxième Entree: L'Hymen – Chaconne
Anne-Sophie Otter, mezzo soprano
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie, director

59 minutes

Music Played

  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Dardanus (Overture)

    Orchestra: Orfeo Orchestra. Conductor: György Vashegyi.
    • Glossa : GCD 924010.
    • Glossa.
    • 1.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Castor et Pollux (Act 2, Sc 1-2)

    Performer: Emmanuelle de Negri. Ensemble: Ensemble Baroque Pygmalion. Conductor: Raphaël Pichon.
    • Harmonia Mundi : HMC902212/13.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Castor et Pollux (Act 4, Sc 3)

    Singer: Philippe Talbot. Singer: Clémentine Margaine. Singer: Florian Sempey. Ensemble: Ensemble Baroque Pygmalion. Conductor: Raphaël Pichon.
    • Harmonia Mundi : HMC902212/13.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Dardanus (Act 1, Sc 1: excerpt)

    Singer: Judith van Wanroij. Orchestra: Orfeo Orchestra. Conductor: György Vashegyi.
    • Glossa : GCD 924010.
    • Glossa.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Dardanus (Act 2, Sc 3)

    Singer: Thomas Dolié. Orchestra: Orfeo Orchestra. Conductor: György Vashegyi.
    • Glossa : GCD 924010.
    • Glossa.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Dardanus (Act 4, Sc 1: Lieux funestes)

    Singer: Cyrille Dubois. Orchestra: Orfeo Orchestra. Conductor: György Vashegyi.
    • Glossa : GCD 924010.
    • Glossa.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Les fetes d'Hébé (excerpt)

    Singer: Anne Sofie von Otter. Ensemble: Les Arts Florissants. Director: William Christie.
    • DG Archiv : 4778610.
    • DG Archiv.

Broadcast

  • Tue 5 Jul 2022 12:00

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