Search - Jean-Philippe Rameau, Ryan Brown, Opera Lafayette :: Jean-Paul Fouchécourt - Rameau Operatic Arias

" Que cet album est agréable ... " -- Pure Enchantment

Terry Serres | Minneapolis, MN United States | 10/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"[The ballots are in and I am ready to declare this my favorite recording of 2007 -- so just skip this review and buy the album! Amazon could sure help out by offering some excerpts!]



Jean-Paul Fouchécourt is probably the world's reigning haute-contre. The term refers to a naturally high tenor voice, not relying on falsetto, that was an important vocal type in French baroque opera. In range and quality it might be considered akin to the familiar "Irish tenor" sound, although the two are deployed in completely different styles of music.



One of the crowning roles in French baroque opera is the title role in Rameau's comic opera Platée. The peculiar plot notwithstanding, Rameau lavishes on this work some of his most inspired music. The character of Platée is a frog nymph done in drag. The fact that Jean-Paul Fouchécourt has never committed his interpretation to disk is frankly one of the most notable omissions in the ongoing revival of Rameau's operas.



This new release from Naxos compensates handsomely. It features five extracts from Platée, including Thespis's charming ode to Bacchus from the prologue. Other works represented are the great tragédies lyriques, a couple of pastorales, an episodic entertainment, and a ballet. The program is expertly organized to showcase this variety of styles. Some tracks are brief ariettes, others are extended solo scenes. Instrumental passages that underscore the richness of Rameau's invention are seamlessly interwoven, enhancing the endless flow of charms.



The singing, in a word, is faultless - supple, sensitive, beguiling, touching, stylistically alert, and nicely varied throughout. The tender beauty of Fouchécourt's voice, the aptness of his interpretations, bring a tear to the eye, a smile to the lips, and a lump to the throat. In other recordings (Gluck's Orphée et Euridice) I have found his voice a touch too sunny to be convincing in heavier passages. No such limitation afflicts this disk. The somber arias from Castor et Pollux and Dardanus are wholly successful, impassioned and quite moving. Perhaps harder to pull off are the lighter pastorales and entertainments, with their rather ambling structure and fragrant but vague melodies. Yet Fouchécourt's sensitive phrasing and emotional presence maintain their continuity. In fact, the extended scene from Naïs, a musical depiction of lovelorn longing at daybreak, is a minor tour de force. The last track on the album is the aforementioned ariette in praise of Bacchus. It is the perfect valedictory song and the insouciant bit of stage business that caps the performance will send you off with a chuckle.



Ryan Brown and Opera Lafayette are not, to my knowledge, big names in the French baroque scene. But I found their playing to lack nothing in balance, pacing, style, and overall accomplishment. The strings have a particularly sweet sound, but with the grave tones needed to underpin the tragic pieces. The winds are nicely integrated - Rameau's use of the bassoon is always telling - and the clavecin is appropriately recessed instead of tinkling away at the sonic forefront. Again, the extended passage from Naïs, where the high strings and winds delightfully illuminate the dawn, highlights the orchestra's refinement as much as the singer's. In short, the orchestra is in perfect partnership with the singer throughout.



Needless to say, Fouchécourt's French is impeccable; and so is his attention to the subtle interplay of language and rhythm, which is an essential Ramellian element. The booklet is a gem too - the brief background notes and plot summaries, along with texts and fine translations, are just what one needs to enjoy the performances unencumbered.

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Fouchecourt sings Rameau

Robin Friedman | Washington, D.C. United States | 11/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Opera Lafeyette with its conductor Ryan Brown is among the finest early music ensembles performing today. I have been fortunate enough to see them several times, performing Gluck, early Mozart and, in this CD, Rameau. The ensemble frequently performs with a period dance company which adds to the enchantment.



On a chilly February afternoon in 2005, I attended the live performance on which this CD is based. The great Haute Tenor Jean-Paul Fouchecourt together with Brown and his ensemble brought magic to a dreary afternoon. As was the recital, the CD is devoted entirely to opera arias by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683 -- 1764) who has been aptly described as the greatest composer who is relatively unknown to a large public. Rameau wrote a celebrated treatise on harmony and many instrumental works; but he came into his own only after he reached the age of 50 with a long series of operas. A Haute Tenor named Jelyotte (1713 --1797) had leading roles in many Rameau operas. Fouchecourt on this CD recreates the arias first sung by Jelyotte.



This CD consists of arias from nine Rameau operas and ballets, including five arias from the opera Platee which Fouchecourt has sung with the New York City Opera. Most of the works are based upon classical themes, and many were performed in the first instance for the Court of Louis XV. Platee, for example, is a comic opera about how Jupiter pretends to fall in love with a frog nymph in order to placate the jealousy of Juno. Fouchecourt sings the female role of Platee. The arias range from the comic, as in Platee, to the tragic and the yearning. The CD includes a beautiful romantic aria from the opera Castor and Pollux and another from Zoroastre. The ballet "Les Festes de l"Hymen de l"Amour" includes love aria, as is appropriate for a work performed at the marriage of the French Dauphin.



Fouchecourt sings with lyricism, strength, lightness, and impeccable diction. He also displays a sense of humor, which was even more apparent in the live performance I heard. The orchestration is imaginatively done. Rameau's music is eloquent, harmonically adventurous and moving. It reminded me a great deal of his successor, Gluck, who wrote for the French stage late in life. Fouchecourt, Brown, and the Opera LaFayette have, in fact, collaborated on a performance of the Paris version of Gluck's Orfeo, also available on Naxos, which will appeal to those listeners interested in this CD.



This CD is essential listening for lovers of the French baroque and for admirers of Fouchecourt. For listeners new to this period of music, this CD constitutes an ideal introduction. The CD includes texts and translations for all the arias in addition to brief plot summaries of the operas and ballets from which they are drawn.



Robin Friedman



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