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Rameau - Castor & Pollux
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Rameau - Castor & Pollux

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Rameau - Castor & Pollux
Music Price: $45.98
As of Sep 6 3:12 EDT (details)

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StudioHarmonia Mundi Fr.
Release DateApril 22, 1993
UPC Code093046143527
Buy this item$45.98 at Amazon.com
As of Sep 6 3:12 EDT (details)
3 Audio CD, Usually ships in 1 to 2 days, Import
 

About Rameau - Castor & Pollux

Castor et Pollux ranks high in Rameau's output, the product of consolidated artistic successes he had with Hippolyte et Aricie and other lighter, more-dance oriented works. It was one of the first Rameau operas recorded complete in a set by Nikolaus Harnoncourt that was sometimes so rough, it left aural splinters. This recording by Les Arts Florissants perhaps goes too far in the other direction: its suaveness sometimes threatens to negate the drama in this story of a man who rescues his slain brother in the underworld amid the usual romantic conflicts. The cast catches a number of early-music notables at the beginning of their careers, including Howard Crook, Véronique Gens, Sandrine Piau, and Mark Padmore. Indeed, when this set was first issued in 1993, one never imagined that it would come to be regarded as something close to a dream cast. --David Patrick Stearns Amazon.com essential recording

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. Prologue: Ov - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  2. Prologue, Scene I: 'Venus, O Venus' - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  3. Prologue, Scene I: Sym - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  4. Prologue, Scene I: 'Je Vous Revois, Belle Deesse' - Rene Schirrer
  5. Prologue, Scene II. Gavottes: 'Renais, Plus Brillante' - Mark Padmore
  6. Prologue, Scene II. Primier Menuet: 'Naissez, Dons De Flore' - Mark Padmore
  7. Prologue, Scene II. Deuxieme Menuet: 'D'un Spectacle Nouveau'/Ov (Reprise) - Claire Brua
  8. Act One, Scene I: 'Que Tout Gemisse' - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  9. Act One, Scene II: 'Ou Courez-voux?' - Agnes Mellon/Veronique Gens
  10. Act One, Scene III: 'Tristes Apprets, Pales Flambeaux' - Agnes Mellon
  11. Act One, Scene IV: 'D'ou Partent Ces Cris Nouveaux?'/'Eclatez, Fieres Trompettes' - Jerome Correas/Agnes Mellon/Adrian Brand/Jean-Claude Sarragosse
  12. Act One, Scene IV: Deuxieme Et Troisim Airs De Athletes - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  13. Act One, Scene V: 'Je Remets A Vos Pieds Ces Depouilles Sanglantes' - Agnes Mellon/Jerome Correas
  14. Act One, Scene V: Premier Airs Des Athletes - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
Disc 2
  1. Act Two, Scene I: 'Nature, Amour, Qui Partagez Mon Coeur' - Jerome Correas
  2. Act Two, Scene II/Scene III: 'Le Souverain Des Dieux' - Jerome Correas/Agnes Mellon/Mark Padmore
  3. Act Two, Scene IV: 'Ma Voix, Puissant Maitre Du Monde' - Rene Schirrer/Jerome Correas
  4. Act Two, Scene V: 'Connaissez Notre Puissance' - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  5. Act Two, Scene V: 'Qu'Hebe De Fleurs' - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  6. Act Two, Scene V: Deuxieme Air Pour Hebe Et Ses Suivantes/'Voici Des Dieux' - Sophie Daneman
  7. Act Three, Scene I: 'Rassemblez-vous, Peuples'/Scene II - Veronique Gens/Jerome Correas/Agnes Mellon
  8. Act Three, Scene III: 'Son Char A Recule Tout A Coup A Mes Yeux' - Agnes Mellon
  9. Act Three, Scene IV: 'Sortez D'esclavage'/Premier Air Des Demons - Jerome Correas/Agnes Mellon/Veronique Gens
  10. Act Three, Scene IV: 'Brisons Tous Nos Fers'/Deuxieme Air Des Demons - Les Arts Florissants
  11. Act Three, Scene V: 'Tout Cede A Ce Heros Vainqueur' - Veronique Gens
Disc 3
  1. Act Four, Scene I: 'Sejour De L'eternelle Paix' - Howard Crook
  2. Act Four, Scene II: 'Qu'il Soit Heureux Comme Nous' - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  3. Act Four, Scene II: 'Ici Se Leve L'aurore' - Sandrine Piau
  4. Act Four, Scene II: 'Sur Les Ombres Fugitives' - Sandrine Piau
  5. Act Four, Scene II: Autant D'amours que De Fleurs' - Sandrine Piau
  6. Act Four, Scene II: 'Fuyez, Fuyez, Ombres Legeres'/Scene III: 'Rassurez-vous, Habitants Fortunes... - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  7. Act Four, Scene III:'Rassurez-vous, Habitants Fortunes'/Scene IV: 'Revenez, Revenez Sur Les... - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  8. Act Five, Scene I: 'Castor Revoit Le Jour' - Veronique Gens
  9. Act Five, Scene II: 'CIel Est Donc Touche' - Howard Crook/Agnes Mellon
  10. Act Five, Scene III: 'Vivez, Heureux Epoux'/'Peuples, Eloignez-vous' - Howard Crook
  11. Act Five, Scene IV: 'Eh Quoi! Tous Ces Objets Ne Peuvent T'attendrir?'/'Qu'ai-je Entendu! Quel Bruit - Howard Crook/Agnes Mellon
  12. Act Five, Scene V: 'Les Destins Sont Contents' - Rene Schirrer/Agnes Mellon/Howard Crook/Rene Schirrer
  13. Act Five, Scene VI: 'Mon Frere... O Ciel!/'Palais De Ma Grandeur Ou Je Dicte Mes lois/'Palais D - Rene Schirrer/Agnes Mellon/Howard Crook/Jerome Correas
  14. Act Five, Scene VII: 'Tant De Vertus Doivent Pretendre'/Entree Des Astres. Gigue - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  15. Act Five, Scene VII. Ariette: 'Brillez, Brillez, Astres Nouveaux' - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie
  16. Act Five, Scene VII. Chaconne: 'Que Les Cieux, Que La Terre Et L'Onde' - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie

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User Reviews

Average user review: 5.0 (2 reviews)

rating: 5 QuoteSerene and beautiful RameauQuote
Castor et Pollux may not be Jean-Philippe Rameau's greatest operas, although it is a very fine opera, but it is certainly Rameau's most beautiful. The orchestral music is rich and full of life and colour, as always. The tunes are very good - we have the usual range of music here, from toe-tappers to sublimely beautiful arias.
The aria "Tristes apprêts, pâles flambeaux?", sung by Télaïre (Agnés Mellon), Acte I, Scène III, is one of the most beautiful and, indeed, sublime Baroque opera arias I've ever heard. Here this and you'll want to buy this opera.

The cast is strong - Howard Crook, Agnés Mellon, Véronique Gens, Sandrine Piau, Mark Padmore, Claire Brua and Sophie Daneman (before the wobbly vibrato heard in later recordings set in) - and Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie are in top form.

A must for lovers of Rameau and those curious about Baroque opera.

Hopefully, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants will revisit this work on DVD soon.
February 1, 2006

rating: 5 QuoteBest of genreQuote
Castor & Pollux is a moving story about love and sacrifice set to beautiful music, showing Rameau at the height of his talent (although some historic evidence suggests that despite his innovations Rameau never quite dared to go as far as his talent would have allowed in the absence of the period inertia). Telaire's aria "Tristes apprets" is singularly famous, the most stunning glimpse into what Rameau was capable of composing to transcend the immediate aesthetics of his time. But the rest of the opera, although more conventional, is no less beautiful. Even the prologue (which is quite long) is uncommonly beautiful. Other highlights include the aria of Le Grand Pretre in the 2d act, and Castor's "Sejour de l'eternelle paix" at the beginning of the 4th act. The cast includes many of the familiar names in Les Arts Florissants universe. Agnes Mellon excels as Telaire. The role of Castor is taken by the American lyric tenor Howard Crook who used ot be quite popular with Christie before being squeezed out by Mark Padmore, who in turn was later squeezed out by Paul Agnew. Padmore, singing his trademark haute-contre, makes an appearance in Castor & Pollux as the Cupid in the prologue. I personally much prefer Padmore to Crook (or to anybody else for that matter), so to me the writing was clerly on the wall that Crook's days were numbered. Yet I don't want to sound disparaging, Crook is a very talented singer, he is utterly moving in "Sejour..." This is a brilliant recording which you should not miss. Other Christie must-buy CD's include Charpentier's Medee (one thousand thumbs up); Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie; and Charpentier's La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers. March 13, 1999

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