Composer: Jean-Baptiste Lully, André Danican Philidor, Jacques Danican Philidor
Performer: Les Épopées, Les Pages, Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles
Conductor: Stéphane Fuget
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Château de Versailles Spectacles
Catalogue: CVS117
Release: 2024
Size: 1.41 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Philidor J: Marche de timballes faite par Philidor Cadet
02. Philidor A: La Marche Royale
Lully: Te deum, LWV 55
03. I. Te Deum
04. II. Pleni sunt coeli et terra
05. III. Te per orbem terrarum
06. IV. Patrem immensae majestatis
07. V. Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum
08. VI. Tu, ad liberandum suscepturus hominem
09. VII. Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes
10. VIII. Te ergo quaesumus
11. IX. Quos pretioso sanguine redemisti
12. X. Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis
13. XI. Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine
14. XII. Per singulos dies benedicimus te
15. XIII. Dignare Domine die isto
16. XIV. Miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri
17. XV. In te, Domine, speravi
Lully: Exaudiat te Dominus, LWV 77 No. 15
18. I. Exaudiat te Dominus in die tribulationis
19. II. Tribuat tibi secundum cor tuum
20. III. Laetabimur in salutari tuo
21. IV. Impleat Dominus omnes petitiones tuas
22. V. Exaudiet illum de caelo sancto suo
23. VI. Hi in curribus, et hi in equis
24. VII. Domine, salvum fac regem
25. VIII. Gloria Patri et Filio
Of all the performances of the Te Deum conducted during Lully’s lifetime, history retains only the last, which sealed the composer’s death in 1686: it was while beating time that, carried away by his zeal, he pierced his foot with the end of his cane… Ten years earlier, Lully composed this considerable score, for the christening of his own son, thus establishing an “official” genre for a century. Also intended to celebrate the great events of the reign, the grand motet Exaudiat Te Dominus is a dazzling glorification of the King, whose arms God has come to bear. Stephane Fuget, with his ensemble Les Epopees, brings to a close this collection devoted to Lully’s sumptuous Grands Motets, accompanied by the Pages et Chantres of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles: To the Glory of God and the King!
The Château de Versailles label has done marvelous work in excavating and re-creating the grand works of the French Baroque, delivering splendid performances that come as close as any contemporary recording can to putting the listener in the shoes of those who were there to hear what happened when the court at Versailles pulled out all the stops musically. The vocal-instrumental group Les Épopées (“The Epics”) and its director, Stéphane Fuget, forge rich, luxuriant performances. The composer Jean-Baptiste Lully is said to have brought 150 musicians to the Parisian church performance that is re-created here; Fuget is a bit short of that, but he has about 100, with several different choirs, including a superb Versailles choir-school group, taking part along with a big instrumental ensemble, and there is not a bit of the chamber feel that so many Baroque performers, even in French genres, seem to favor. The Paris performance comes with a grim historical footnote; it was the event at which Lully speared his own foot with a heavy baton, resulting in an infection that killed him several weeks later. For physical album buyers, the booklet delves into that event and into other particulars of the performance without loading on too much detail. Sample especially the final work on the program, the exuberant grand motet Exaudiat te Dominus, which should permanently dispel any idea of Lully as a stodgy, formal composer. The Te Deum, the main attraction, is also very strong, and it is preceded by a couple of intriguing percussion processionals by the brothers Jacques Danican Philidor and André Danican Philidor, the latter also the champion chess player of the day. The recording was done in 2023 at the Chapelle Royale at Versailles, with sonorous, clear sound. It is a wonderful album that will display the capabilities of a good stereo system, and it made classical best-seller lists in early 2024.