Jean-Philippe RAMEAU (1683-1764)
Zaïs (1748)
Zaïs – Julian Prégardien
Zélidie – Sandrine Piau
Oromazès – Aimery Lefèvre
Cindor – Benoît Arnould
Sylphide/High Priestess of Love – Amel Brahim-Djelloul
Amour – Hasnaa Bennani
Sylphe – Zachary Wilder
Choeur de Chambre de Namur
Les Talens Lyrique/Christophe Rousset)
rec. Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles, 16-18 November 2014
APARTE AP109 [3 CDs: 60:00 + 67:00 + 31:00]
Rameau wrote Zaïs in 1748 for the court of Louis
XV. It was part of the highly fashionable genre of "la féerie",
set in the enchanted world of Middle Eastern myth. Zaïs, King of the Sylphs
(and thus immortal), loves the shepherdess Zélidie. The opera concerns a number
of trials and tests they both must undergo in order for their love to prosper.
The trials, together with the elemental themes of bringing order out of chaos,
link the opera to the symbolism of Freemasonry, decades before Mozart got
round to it in The Magic Flute, and also to several other key ideas
of the European Enlightenment which France was spearheading at the time. So
while the plot is pretty conventional, it's intellectually interesting
and, more importantly, the music is among Rameau's best.
He sets the bar high at the very beginning. The extraordinary Overture depicts
the disentangling of Chaos in a manner much more dynamic and challenging than
even Haydn. Winds trill, drums boom and strings run to depict the Four Elements
pulling themselves apart from the primordial soup. It's tremendous
in conception and exhilarating in the realisation, and it showcases the instrumental
playing, which is one of the chief glories of this set. Yet again, Les Talens
Lyrique show that they play this music as to the manner born, and Rousset's
direction is a model of clarity and dynamism.
Their style and flair is one of the constants of this set. The dances, such
an important part of the French Baroque, are played with great élan and an
unarguable sense of forward movement. Furthermore, the frequent supernatural
moments all come to life magnificently, with special effects and spot-lit
instruments to allow the whole thing to feel very present. The brief appearances
of the Namur Chamber Choir show that they are utterly sensitive to the style
as well.
It really helps to have a French singing cast who sound as though they've
grown up singing this stuff. As Zaïs himself, Julian Prégardien is marvellous,
and in fact does an extremely good job of sounding quite unlike himself, inhabiting
the haute-contre style with surprising success. If you were to compare
his singing here with, say, his Pedrillo in René Jacobs' recent Entführung
aus dem Serail (review),
you wouldn't think they're the same singer. The upper register
is secure without being nasal, and he has a beautiful floaty quality to his
voice that carries many of his arias. Sandrine Piau sings Zélidie with predictable
beauty and sensitivity. There is richness and a fully rounded quality to her
voice that offsets the often ethereal quality found by Prégardien, and she
plays the innocent shepherdess with just the right quantity of simplicity
and naiveté. Benoît Arnould brings both sympathy and bluff assertiveness to
the role of Cindor, Zaïs' companion. Aimery Lefèvre takes the role
of Oromazès, King of the Genies, with authority, relishing his fruity vowel
sounds magnificently. Hasnaa Bennani sings the goddess Amour with languid
beauty and sensual feel for the line, and in the double role of the Sylph
and the High Priestess of Love, Amel Brahim-Djelloul sounds voluptuous and
rich.
The presiding genius over the whole affair is Christophe Rousset who, as in
his other Baroque recordings for Aparte, including Lully’s Phaéton
(review),
shows that he is one of the world's leading authorities in this music.
French Baroque opera might not necessarily be your cup of tea, but even sceptics
must take their hat off to Rousset's scholarship, sensitivity to the
style and collegiate way of working. Number after number brings great beauty
and winning style, and I urge you to explore it.
Simon Thompson
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