Rameau's "Zais" - at last!

[MickyD]

It would appear that this month sees the release of a new, complete recording of this work from the admirable Christophe Rousset:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rameau-Zais-Talens-Lyrique/dp/B00ZJ734YI/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1441462929&sr=1-1&keywords=rameau+zais

...hopefully it will satisfyingly plug the gap caused by the disappearance of the Leonhardt version, recorded well over 30 years ago. It is as rare as hen's teeth, and I guard my copy under lock and key!

[Pegleg]

It would appear that this month sees the release of a new, complete recording of this work from the admirable Christophe Rousset:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rameau-Zais-Talens-Lyrique/dp/B00ZJ734YI/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1441462929&sr=1-1&keywords=rameau+zais

...hopefully it will satisfyingly plug the gap caused by the disappearance of the Leonhardt version, recorded well over 30 years ago. It is as rare as hen's teeth, and I guard my copy under lock and key!

Christophe Rousset was a (welcome) guest on this Wednesday's "In Tune" - A brief excerpt from Zais was played. He had some interesting things to say in conversation with Verity Sharp, but more importantly played live two pieces from F.Couperin's pieces de clavecin. No idea what the harpsicord was, but with Rousset at the keyboard it sounded magical.

Rousset was in London conducting masterclasses as part of the "International Rameau Summer School" - http://rameau.eu/summerschool

According to "presto Classical " in the UK, Zais is scheduled for release on 18 September 2015. Downloads can be purchased now, and you can listen to samples of all tracks. You will have to gives us a review, and comparison with the Leonhardt version.

P.S Have you seen/heard Raphaël Pichon's Dardanus? - https://youtu.be/jVoW2wPaMHU

[Nick Armstrong]

Christophe Rousset was a (welcome) guest on this Wednesday's "In Tune" - A brief excerpt from Zais was played. He had some interesting things to say in conversation with Verity Sharp

I heard that... He was rather damning with faint praise about its quality as a work! 'Variable', was what I took from it (which in the context of a 'sales interview' probably means 'not great')... and 'good overture'!

P.S Have you seen/heard Raphaël Pichon's Dardanus? - https://youtu.be/jVoW2wPaMHU

Coincidence - I have just enthused about M. Pichon and his team on another thread, just started, about another work - they are playing as I write.

[Pegleg]

I heard that... He was rather damning with faint praise about its quality as a work! 'Variable', was what I took from it (which in the context of a 'sales interview' probably means 'not great')... and 'good overture'!

Hmm, I'm not sure, after such a dramatic start wasn't Verity Sharpe asking if the overture was representative of Zais as a whole. I don't think Rousset had time to discuss this at length, he did talk about many virtuosic moments for the orchestra, nor did he point out this work is regarded as a "pastorale héroïque". Just listen to these extracts at Presto Classical from the prologue scene 3 -

Jean-Philippe Rameau: Zaïs, Prologue, Scène 3: Entrée en sarabande pour les Jeux et les Plaisirs
Jean-Philippe Rameau: Zaïs, Prologue, Scène 3: Première et deuxième gavottes pour les Jeux et les Plaisirs
Jean-Philippe Rameau: Zaïs, Prologue, Scène 3: Que l'Amour soit votre maître (Amour)
Jean-Philippe Rameau: Zaïs, Prologue, Scène 3: Premier et deuxième menuets pour les Jeux et les Plaisirs

or this longer extract at http://www.apartemusic.com/discography/rameau-zais/ Act1 Scene4 and this promo vid https://youtu.be/uW7lSaYumKs ( MickyD might be kind enough to translate Rousset's commentary)

From the little I know of Zais, it seems remarkable that's British premiere took place only last year:

http://classical-iconoclast.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/ramaeu-zais-oae-qeh.html

Text from the Château de Versailles Spectacles site describes Zais:

Royal Opera
Durée:
3h30 intermission included

"In 1745, the King granted to Jean-Philippe Rameau the charge of « Composer of the Cabinet’s music », which came with an endowment.
This new period saw the production of lighter works, together with the librettist Louis de Cahusac, with some of his greatest masterpieces. Among them, Zais performed in 1748 at the Académie royale de musique. This heroic ballet offers some of the most beautiful vocal and instrumental pages in French music; the entire work is in the same vein as its famous overture where Chaos is organized, with surprising and theatrical use of voices and daring writing. The very thin plot - a lover (Zais) tests his beloved (Zelidie) only to love her better - leaves room to innumerable and entrancing musical numbers and dances.

Forty years after Gustav Leonhardt, Christophe Rousset opens Rameau’s score, in line with his recordings, concerts and writings on the composer, which place him among his best advocates".

Well, I suppose they would say that, wouldn't they.

[vinteuil]

It would appear that this month sees the release of a new, complete recording of this work from the admirable Christophe Rousset:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rameau-Zais-Talens-Lyrique/dp/B00ZJ734YI/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1441462929&sr=1-1&keywords=rameau+zais

... the most excellent news : thank you, Micky, for the alert.

Available slightly sooner and cheaper, I think, from amazon fr -

http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00ZJ734YI

[AmpH]

The new Rameau / Rousset recording of Zais referred to in the OP can be heard on Qobuz , for those who subscribe to this service. The booklet is also available for viewing.

[MickyD]

Good evening, fellow Ramistes! And thanks for all the info, including Rousset's appearance on 'In Tune', I must give it a listen tomorrow, as well as that new "Dardanus". I'm surprised that he says that "Zais" is variable - I think it is full of some of Rameau's most wonderful music and I truly cannot understand that conductors such as Christie, for example, haven't done it before now.

I would suspect that the new recording will have much more of a whiff of the theatre about it than the old Leonhardt version - yet personally, I just adore that halo of sound around the older Leonhardt recording, very much in the same style as the "Pygmalion" he did for DHM. Probably due to recording it in a large Dutch church. It's a crying shame that his "Zais" has never been re-released. I will certainly invest in the new set, maybe Rousset has thrown some fresh light on the score.

[Pegleg]

Good evening, fellow Ramistes! And thanks for all the info, including Rousset's appearance on 'In Tune', I must give it a listen tomorrow, as well as that new "Dardanus". I'm surprised that he says that "Zais" is variable - I think it is full of some of Rameau's most wonderful music and I truly cannot understand that conductors such as Christie, for example, haven't done it before now.

I would suspect that the new recording will have much more of a whiff of the theatre about it than the old Leonhardt version - yet personally, I just adore that halo of sound around the older Leonhardt recording, very much in the same style as the "Pygmalion" he did for DHM. Probably due to recording it in a large Dutch church. It's a crying shame that his "Zais" has never been re-released. I will certainly invest in the new set, maybe Rousset has thrown some fresh light on the score.

I listened to Christophe Rousset again, it was as I first heard. I'm sorry but Caliban's got it wrong, he does not utter a single negative word about Zais. "After the overture it is more standard ... fantastic moments for singers and orchestra .... a lovely piece ... based on masonic themes and is not as light as it seems ..."

[MickyD]

That's very reassuring Pegleg, and I'm not surprised, because Rousset is normally wildly enthusiastic about Rameau. Of course, some works don't reach such high standards - I'm thinking of a couple of recently recorded pieces by Hervé Niquet but which are well worth hearing all the same. As for "Zais", I think it contains some of Rameau's most enchanting music. It looks like Rousset has assembled a strong cast, too.

I would dearly love to translate all that he has to say in the blurb, but afraid I just don't have the time at present.