Search - La Chapelle Royal :: Rameau: Les Grands Motets

A revelation

01/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's amazing that Rameau, Vivaldi, Bach and Handel were contemporaries but their sacred music is so different. There is almost nothing on this CD that sounds anything like those other composers. Rameau's rhythm and extreme ornamentation is unique. His long melodies are delightful. His orchestration is elegant. A good place to hear all these elements of his style is in the wonderful aria for soprano and chorus, "Laudate nomen Dei cum cantico" on track 4 of this CD. Every section of this collection of three "grand motets" is beautiful. The ensemble of period instruments under Philippe Herreweghe and the soloists are excellent. Unfortunately the liner notes does not identify who sings which solos, but I especially enjoyed the bass in "Domine, Deus virtutum" and in the recitative "Converte Domine" that introduces "Laudate nomen Dei", the tenor in "Et enim passer invenit" (even though his Latin diction is very strange), the instrumental ensemble in the air, "Quam dilecta" that introduces the grand motet of the same name, and the chorus in "In convertendo".

I wish the liner notes had more information about the music, including texts (so I could sing along!), instead of just a brief biography of Rameau (in three languages). But that is a minor quibble. This is a great CD!"