Jean-Philippe RAMEAU (1683-1764)
Pièces de clavecin en concerts No.2 in G [16:30]
Orphée [17:07]
Pièces de clavecin en concerts No. 5 in d minor [13:00]
Le berger fidèle [15:27]
Mathias Vidal (tenor)
Amarillis (Héloïse Gaillard (recorder, oboe), Alice Piérot (violin), Marianne
Muller (viola da gamba), Violaine Cochard (harpsichord))
rec. no date given, La Courroie, Entraigues-sur-la-Sorgue, France. DDD
Texts and translations included
NAÏVE V5377 [62:05]
This disc comes without a title. It is clearly inspired by
the commemoration of Rameau's death in 2014, the year of its release.
It brings together specimens from two different genres. The Pièces de
clavecin en concerts rank among Rameau's best-known compositions
and are frequently performed and recorded. In comparison his chamber cantatas
are far less known, and not that well represented on disc. In its scorings
this recording differs from what is otherwise on the market.
The five concerts which were published in 1741 under the title of
Pièces de clavecin en concerts were written under the influence of
the very first sonatas for an obbligato harpsichord and violin published in
France: the sonatas op. 3 by Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville. Even the
title was inspired by that collection: Pièces de clavecin en sonates.
Rameau scored his concerts for harpsichord, violin or transverse
flute and viola da gamba. The publisher added a second part for a violin which
could replace the viola da gamba, probably in order to increase sales. The
concerts comprise three movements - except the second, which has
four - which mostly refer to a character from Rameau's time, such as
Forqueray - probably the famous gambist Antoine or his son Jean-Baptiste,
or possibly another member of that family - and (Marin) Marais.
In this recording the 5e Concert is performed in the scoring indicated
by the composer. The 2e Concert is played here with an oboe which
either plays in alternation with the violin or colla parte. It is
questionable whether this is in line with Rameau's intentions. Composers
usually left much to the interpreters, but the title page doesn't give
any indication that other instruments may be used. That in itself is not conclusive,
but in this case the participation of an oboe is musically unsatisfying. It
is too dominant, not only in relation to the violin but also to the harpsichord.
The keyboard is the central element here and has the lead. It should not be
overshadowed by one of the other instruments but that is exactly what happens
here. However, that is also due to Violaine Cochard's playing which
is too restrained and rather bland. The 5e Concert is played in the
original scoring and here the result isn't that much better. On the
whole I find these performances not very engaging and the dramatic elements
which are always present in Rameau's music - a man of the theatre by
instinct - are seriously underexposed.
Rameau's dramatic talents are also to the fore in his chamber cantatas.
The emergence of this genre in France was due to the increasing influence
of the Italian style dating from the beginning of the 18th century. French
composers started to write such cantatas for performance in the salons of
the aristocracy and the upper echelons of the bourgeoisie. The form is modelled
after the Italian cantata: a sequence of recitatives and arias. There are
also differences. Italian cantatas were almost exclusively scored for high
voices - soprano or alto - but French composers also wrote solo parts for
a tenor or a baritone. Whereas most Italian cantatas are for voice and basso
continuo, French cantatas often include parts for one or two treble instruments,
called simphonie. It is mostly left to the interpreters to choose
which treble instruments to use. Most common were the violin and the transverse
flute. Another option was the oboe, which is played here in both cantatas.
In the second aria from Le berger fidèle Héloïse Gaillard plays the
recorder. That cannot be excluded, but it also needs to be said that in Rameau's
time the recorder was unmistakably in decline. The pastoral nature of the
aria could probably be best expressed by using a transverse flute, but apparently
Ms Gaillard doesn't play that instrument.
More problematic is the performance of these cantatas by a tenor. Both were
originally scored for soprano. The choice of a tenor in the cantatas "reflects
our wish to restore all their liveliness and their vivacity to these miniature
dramas and is logically consistent with the characters they depict, the musician
Orpheus and the shepherd Myrtil". I am quite surprised and not convinced
by this line of argument. The logic of why a tenor is needed to create "liveliness"
and "vivacity" escapes me. Can't a soprano do the same? The
second argument is dubious. If the performance by a tenor is "logically
consistent" with the respective characters, why didn't Rameau
score these cantatas for such a type of voice? It is also questionable whether
Orpheus and Myrtil are the protagonists in these cantatas. In both cases the
recitatives are sung by a narrator who then announces the feelings of the
respective characters in the arias, such as in the opening recitative from
Le berger fidèle: "And thus his voice proclaims his grief to
the echoes". In Orphée even a large part of the middle aria
is given to the narrator, and the closing aria sets out the moral of the story.
The characters hardly play a role here; the arias are rather quotations of
their feelings.
Although I have my doubts about the decisions in regard to the performance
with a tenor of these cantatas they are by far the best part of this disc.
Whereas the Concerts are largely disappointing, Mathias Vidal delivers
theatrical interpretations of the cantatas, showing convincingly how French
and Italian elements have been mixed. Now and then he uses a little too much
vibrato but on the whole his singing is stylish, although it is regrettable
that no historical pronunciation is adopted. As the cantatas constitute a
relatively little-known part of Rameau's oeuvre it is these pieces
which are the reason to consider this disc.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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