Comparison recording: Christophe Rousset, harpsichord
(complete harpsichord
works) L’Oiseau-Lyre 425 886-2
The keyboard music of Rameau is utterly unlike anybody
else’s keyboard music, and generally very much as advertised in the
individual titles. La Poule is nothing short of hilarious, and
the "chatter of the birds" extremely depictive. I am advised
that since people from Sologne are reputedly very wise, a "fool
from Sologne" is hence just pretending, more a knave than a fool.
But I have never been able to find out how that figures into this enigmatic
work. One friend of mine actually screamed and ran out of the room when
he heard it. How will it affect you?
Eiji Hashimoto is professor of Harpsichord and Artist-in-Residence
at University of Cincinnati, and he plays this music with drama, intelligence,
and commitment. The selection of pieces includes almost all the famous
ones for a good one-disk set, which is probably just enough Rameau for
most music lovers. The instrument is an authentic copy, mean-tone tuned,
and pitched at a=415. But for those who are really interested in this
music, Rousset plays the complete works on an authentic instrument that
Rameau himself may have played, uses different appropriate pitches for
the different publications, and performs with all of the qualities Eiji
Hashimoto displays but offers greater precision and grace and more imagination
in ornamentation. Admittedly this is an extremely high standard; Rousset
is one of the premier musicians of our age and a foremost Rameau interpreter.
Rameau was one of the most advanced musical theorists
of his time, which is one reason his music sounds oddly modern to us
since he virtually invented much of the structure of Western music.
Because he spent much time writing theoretical essays and revolutionary
stage works that received mixed receptions, he wrote surprisingly little
keyboard music. Hence several artists have recorded his complete œuvre,
most notably Robert Veyron-Lacroix on 3 Westminster LPs. Fernando Valenti
made a distinguished recording of the "suite in e minor" also
on Westminster LP. More recently we have William Christie and Trevor
Pinnock. Any of these recordings would be preferable to this one by
Eiji Hashimoto.
Paul Shoemaker
Eiji Hashimoto, harpsichord