Prom 17 - 29.07.14: Les Arts Florissants - Rameau Motets

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Tuesday, 29 July
10.00 p.m. – c. 11.15 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Remembered today as the composer of some of the most glorious operas of the entire Baroque period, it's easy to forget that two thirds of Jean-Philippe Rameau's musical career was spent as a composer not for the stage but for the church. In this late-night Prom, William Christie - the American conductor who has made the music of 18th-century France his life's work - directs three of Rameau's large-scale sacred motets. These rarely-heard pieces, accompanied by orchestra, are infused with all the characteristics of the French baroque repertoire - elegance, wit, sophistication and charm.

Rameau: Deus noster refugium
Rameau: Quam dilecta tabernacula
Rameau: In convertendo Dominus

Rachel Redmond (soprano)
Katherine Watson (soprano)
Reinoud Van Mechelen (high tenor)
Cyril Auvity (tenor)
Marc Mauillon (baritone)
Cyril Costanzo (bass)
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie (conductor)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

[aeolium]

I'm looking forward to this as I don't know these works at all. I enjoyed the Rameau PCM. It's a pity that that is all we are getting of Rameau in this Proms season (apart from the suite from Les Indes Galantes). One of the shorter operas or ballets would have been good.

[pilamenon]

I'm looking forward to this as I don't know these works at all. I enjoyed the Rameau PCM. It's a pity that that is all we are getting of Rameau in this Proms season (apart from the suite from Les Indes Galantes). One of the shorter operas or ballets would have been good.

I'm hoping to be at this one, along with the earlier Borusan Istanbul concert - it should be a very distinctive double bill. I have a soft spot for Rameau, as his Hippolyte et Aricie (conducted by JEG) was my first ever venture to the Proms back in 1983. Knowing the composer that bit better now, I might have got out even more out of that performance, but it was still memorable, and as you say would have been good to have an opera this year, though H&A is by no means short! Not sure why a couple of Rameau works couldn't have been substituted for the Bach Passions, which are for Easter in my view.

Also looking forward to seeing the legendary William Christie for the first time.

[doversoul1]

10.00pm tonight

I look forward to reading pilamenon’s report.

[BBMmk2]

10.00pm tonight

I look forward to reading pilamenon’s report.

Oh no!! Another iplayer session!!

[doversoul1]

The solo singers took a little time to settle and the soprano sounded a little too shrill in places but other than that I thought it was a very enjoyable concert. What was the encore? William Christie must have been grinning from ear to ear.

BBM
This Prom will be repeated on Wednesday 6th August at 2pm.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

With a group of top professional soloists, the end result was a little disappointing for me, with the voices less than well blended.

[doversoul1]

The singers, at least the soloists are ‘would-be’ top performers, as they are from Le Jardin des voix: The Arts Florissants’ academy for young singers.

I know this isn’t an excuse for not to be anything other than the very best, and I might have enjoyed less if they had performed more regular, familiar works. As it was, I enjoyed hearing these unfamiliar works. Mind you, I am very easy to please when it comes to Les Arts Florissants (apart from some re-ontextualsed opera productions).

[ed]

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The singers, at least the soloists are ‘would-be’ top perfumers, as they are from Le Jardin des voix: The Arts Florissants’ academy for young singers.

Did they win the Prix d'Aroma?

[pilamenon]

I enjoyed this rather less than hoped, not because of any deficiencies in the music-making, which was superb, but because having stood through the earlier concert my back was really aching making it difficult to concentrate. Agree that a couple of the soloists took a while to warm to the task, but they were all in full flow by the second motet and consistently impressive, as was the musicianship across the board. Balance-wise, the flutes were situated at the front, but seemed drowned out in the arena by the strings and continuo - did they come across better on the radio? Apparently there were no less than four encores, though we bailed out after the first.

All three motets were worth hearing in their own right, but perhaps a more varied selection of Rameau's work would have been welcome - the first encore came as something of a welcome breath of air musically.

One other carp: I found the constant to-ing and fro-ing of the different soloists from the back of the stage to the front during each motet incredibly irritating and the way they did it furthermore was extremely mannered - it reminded me of an old-fashioned beauty parade on TV. They obviously formed part of the choir, too, but the choir managed perfectly well without them, and I don't see why they couldn't have sat at the front and reduced the distraction.

[Richard J.]

There were indeed 4 encores! William Christie kept on returning for what we expected to be a final bow, but instead played another encore. It was nearly 11.45 by the time they finished.

According to the BBC Proms Team on Twitter, the encores were:

- J-J Cassanea de Mondonville's Motet In Exitu Israel (Christie said that this had originally been part of the programme, with just two Rameau motets)
- the opening chorus of of Act 1 of Rameau's Castor et Pollux
- Rameau's Tendre Amour, O Fons Vivus Caritas
- 4th mvt of J-J Cassanea de Mondonville's Dominus Regnavit

Only the first one was broadcast (and is on the iPlayer).