Credits:

Sir Georg Solti

Description:

The rediscovery of French classical music in the second half of the 20th century has drastically changed the perception of Rameau's works. Nowadays, Rameau is known worldwide not only for his music for harpsichord, but also for his operas, ballets, divertissements, and other stage music, which he composed after his 50th birthday. However, in the shadow of these areas, Rameau's activities in religious music, another important aspect of the French Baroque, have not been illuminated as often as they should be. However, as a church organist, Rameau wrote some substantial grand motets in his thirties, when he was moving from place to place outside of Paris, and these works show the abundant talent that would blossom in his later years. The long-awaited new recording on the label organized by the Palace of Versailles includes all four motets as they are known today, and features the spirited group Marguerite Louise, who has given numerous masterful performances at Louis XIV's chateau, in both vocal and instrumental roles. In addition to the violins, the group includes large and small violas in the French Baroque style, as well as cellos, double basses, and other string instruments of Italian origin, revealing the truth of the sound that the young Rameau envisioned when he was active in southern France, which is also close to Italy.The bass lineup, consisting of four bassoon players and two keyboard players, is truly fertile, and the richly undulating music is certainly different from that of Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi of the same period, making this a unique musical world that will captivate you. Naxos Japan