New Rameau Documentary

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  • MickyD
    Full Member
    • Nov 2010
    • 4775

    New Rameau Documentary

    Thanks to the little baroque festival in Arles at the moment, I have just had the pleasure of seeing the preview of a 90 minute documentary on Rameau, with the director, Olivier Simmonet, in the audience. No dry as dust academia here, but a fascinating and enjoyable biography of the composer and his works, with an actor playing the role of the composer and who bears the most astonishing likeness to the portraits. It features generous extracts from the operas, performed wonderfully by the likes of Christophe Rousset, Mark Minkowski, Les Talens Lyriques, Ensemble Pygamalion and Karin Gauvin. Plus the surprising discovery (by Rameau scholar Sylvie Buissou) that Rameau not only wrote drinking songs in his free time to be performed at a gentleman's club, but also that he has been revealed as the actual composer of 'Frère Jacques'!

    As far as I know, the documentary is to be screened on Arte in 2016 - I guess it will never make it to the UK, sadly, but I'll keep my eyes peeled to see when it is on and if it can be viewed for free later online. It really is well worth watching - the joy of the artists performing Rameau's works is palpable. I haven't enjoyed a documentary so much in years.
  • richardfinegold
    Full Member
    • Sep 2012
    • 7667

    #2
    Does this mean that Mahler should have royalties to Rameu
    Perhaps the film will get picked up by Film Festivals.

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    • doversoul1
      Ex Member
      • Dec 2010
      • 7132

      #3
      I’m very much looking forward to watching the programme. I find what I have seen of Olivier Simmonet’s productions very good.

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      • MickyD
        Full Member
        • Nov 2010
        • 4775

        #4
        He has apparently already made films about Lully and Charpentier, which I haven't seen. He said at the cinema last night that it took him a lot of hard work to get Arte to agree to this 90 minute documentary, as they thought Rameau would be boring! Certainly not from this offering...it was superbly done. His real love is Handel, so who knows, maybe we might be lucky enough to get a similar documentary on him some time in the future.

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