London Baroque - Jean-Philippe Rameau: Pieces de clavecin en concerts (2003)

Posted By: Designol

Date: Jan. 24, 2023

Vivaldi, Handel, Purcel, J.S. Bach and now Rameau: London Baroque is proceeding through the Baroque Masters at an impressive pace. After acclaimed recordings of the Fantazias of Purcell and Bach's trio sonatas the turn has come to Pièces de Clavecin en Concerts, Jean-Philippe Rameau's important collection of chamber music works. The title (Concert pieces for harpsichord) is actually misleading, for although the harpsichord does play an important role throughout, the violin and viola da gamba are indispensable. Here London Baroque members Ingrid Seifert, Charles Medlam and Terence Charlston again prove their almost uncanny ability to play as one. Being mainly famous for his operas and stage works, Rameau in his Pièces has created a series of character pieces of which many are portraits of friends and acquaintances of the composer. Among the titles are the names and colleagues such as Marais and Forqueray but there is also a delightful self-portrait in La Rameau. A kaleidoscopic journey through the artistic circles of Paris in 1740, which can only be recommended.

Jean-Philippe Rameau was an extraordinarily gifted and imaginative composer as highly esteemed in his day as he continues to be in ours. With the exception of his oeuvre for harpsichord, Rameau’s Pièces de clavecin en concerts represents the only chamber music he composed in his long and prolific life. Unlike his solo harpsichord works, which mostly count among his earliest compositions, Rameau’s six settings for harpsichord, flute/violin, and violin/cello were written much later in 1741 when he was at the height of his powers. And throughout these often widely diverse, emotionally charged, and programmatically alluring works we cannot help but hear Rameau auspiciously summarizing in chamber scale his varied achievements to date.

There are many fine recordings of the Pieces de clavecin en concerts on CD, though few take full advantage of the interpretive possibilities in these scores. This new performance by London Baroque is as accomplished as we might expect from these veteran players; however, given the competition, its few minor shortcomings (and one major one) prevent this ensemble’s otherwise worthy offering from ranking among the best.

As with most other performances (the Leonhardt Consort on Teldec being the most notable exception) London Baroque observes all repeats yet fails to make the most of their expressive potential. Compare for instance their treatment of the opening “La Laborde” of the second Concert to the performance by the Ensemble Baroque du Festival D’Aix-En-Provence on Pierre Verany. Though certainly vivid and lively, London Baroque’s slightly slower tempos and rather unimaginative delineation of line (compared to Pierre Verany’s viola de gambist Sylvie Moquet!) make for a less compelling ideal. Other moments also are less interesting than they could be: London Baroque’s rendering of the potentially mesmerizing second-movement “L’indiscrete” of the fourth Concert could use a bit more of the alacrity and verve demonstrated by the Leonhardt Consort or by Pinnock/Podger/Mason on a recent Channel Classics recording.

But the major problem with London Baroque’s performance lies with its omission of the optional flute obbligato that most groups sensibly include. Without it, the full range of the composer’s broadly diverse musical palette becomes greatly diminished–“La Livri” loses its eerie melancholy, “L’Agaçante” is denied its elegant air, and “La Cupis” simply doesn’t flower as brightly as it should. Listeners familiar with other performances that incorporate this vital wind element will lament its absence here.

Review by John Greene, ClassicsToday.com

Jean-Philippe Rameau at Allmusic
Jean-Philippe Rameau at Wiki

London Baroque
Ingrid Seifert, violin
Charles Medlam, bass viol
Terence Charlston, harpsichord

Tracklist:

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)

Concert No.1 in C minor
01. I. La Coulicam (3:40)
02. II. La Livri (3:01)
03. III. Le Vézinet (3:32)

Concert No.2 in G major
04. I. La Laborde (6:05)
05. II. La Boucon (4:48)
06. III. L'agaçante (2:35)
07. IV. Menuets I & II (4:38)

Concert No.3 in A major
08. I. La La Poplinière (4:50)
09. II. La timide (6:36)
10. III. Tambourins I & II (2:41)

Concert No.4 in B flat major
11. I. La pantomime (4:23)
12. II. L'indiscrète (1:46)
13. III. La Rameau (4:48)

Concert No.5 in D minor
14. I. La Forqueray (4:41)
15. II. La Cupis (5:47)
16. III. La Marais (3:12)

EAC log

Exact Audio Copy V1.3 from 2. September 2016

EAC extraction logfile from 6. June 2018, 21:14

London Baroque / Jean-Philippe Rameau - Pièces de clavecin en concerts

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DR log

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2018-06-09 23:09:45

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: London Baroque / Jean-Philippe Rameau - Pièces de clavecin en concerts
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR13 -2.60 dB -19.09 dB 3:40 01-Concert No.1 in C minor - I. La Coulicam
DR12 -5.66 dB -20.46 dB 3:01 02-Concert No.1 in C minor - II. La Livri
DR13 -2.38 dB -17.70 dB 3:32 03-Concert No.1 in C minor - III. Le Vézinet
DR14 0.00 dB -18.03 dB 6:05 04-Concert No.2 in G major - I. La Laborde
DR12 -5.73 dB -21.02 dB 4:48 05-Concert No.2 in G major - II. La Boucon
DR13 -0.75 dB -17.67 dB 2:35 06-Concert No.2 in G major - III. L'agaçante
DR13 -4.23 dB -20.41 dB 4:38 07-Concert No.2 in G major - IV. Menuets I & II
DR13 -2.16 dB -19.13 dB 4:50 08-Concert No.3 in A major - I. La La Poplinière
DR13 -3.03 dB -20.39 dB 6:36 09-Concert No.3 in A major - II. La timide
DR13 0.00 dB -16.90 dB 2:41 10-Concert No.3 in A major - III. Tambourins I & II
DR13 -2.00 dB -18.09 dB 4:23 11-Concert No.4 in B flat major - I. La pantomime
DR12 -3.15 dB -19.65 dB 1:46 12-Concert No.4 in B flat major - II. L'indiscrète
DR12 -1.30 dB -18.12 dB 4:48 13-Concert No.4 in B flat major - III. La Rameau
DR13 -0.36 dB -17.83 dB 4:41 14-Concert No.5 in D minor - I. La Forqueray
DR13 -3.30 dB -19.99 dB 5:47 15-Concert No.5 in D minor - II. La Cupis
DR13 -0.84 dB -19.06 dB 3:12 16-Concert No.5 in D minor - III. La Marais
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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Official DR value: DR13

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Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 867 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

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