Composer: Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Performer: Teresa Wakim, Virginia Warnken, Jesse Blumberg, Aaron Sheehan, Jason McStoots, Molly Netter, Margot Rood, John Taylor Ward, Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble, Boston Early Music Festival Vocal Ensemble
Conductor: Paul O’Dette, Stephen Stubbs
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: CPO
Catalogue: 555283-2
Release: 2019
Size: 586 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Les plaisirs de Versailles, H. 480
01. Overture
02. Scene 1: Que tout cede aux douceurs
03. Scene 2: Quel objet importun
04. Scene 2: Ah! Que cette chute
05. Scene 2: Qu’elle finisse donc
06. Scene 3: Venez, dieu des festins
07. Scene 3: D’un vin délicieux
08. Scene 3: J’ai des confitures liquides
09. Scene 4: Si les cartes
10. Scene 4: Pour vous apaiser donc
11. Scene 4: Déesse des discours
12. Scene 4: Ah, que ce chocolat foisonne
13. Scene 4: Déesse un peu trop chatouilleuse
Les arts florissants, H. 487
14. Overture
15. Scene 1: Que mes divins concerts
16. Scene 1: Amour du ciel (1)
17. Scene 1: Dans la noble ardeur
18. Scene 1: Mon pinceau, mes couleurs
19. Scene 1: Amour du ciel (2)
20. Scene 2: Bruit effroyable
21. Scene 2: Renversons le ciel
22. Scene 2: Sa gloire est un supplice
23. Scene 3: Fille de la nuit éternelle
24. Scene 3: Souffres-tu, monarque des dieux
25. Scene 4: Parais dans ta beauté première
26. Scene 5: Charmante paix
27. Scene 5: O paix si longtemps desiree (1)
28. Scene 5: O paix si longtemps desiree (2)
In 2015 our most recent Charpentier recording to date, La Descente dOrphée aux Enfers with young soloists and the Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble, received the Grammy Award for the »Best Opera Production« of the preceding year and Gramophones »Editors Choice.« Our new CD featuring two »mini-operas« by Charpentier again offers enthralling performances of this court music of charming dance character and elegance. In contrast to Charpentiers other operas, Les Plaisirs de Versailles is directly associated with Louis XIV. The title of the manuscript score registers very clearly and unmistakably what is involved in this composition, and its equation of the »plaisirs,« the »pleasures,« with the kings residence not only serves to reveal the subject but also the context: on the one hand, the work describes the pleasures that could be experienced in the royal palace; on the other hand, it itself is supposed to be one of these pleasures. Once again a beautiful and top-quality work from opera history is made available to listeners of the twenty-first century: An important addition to the Charpentier discography (Toccata).