A Charming French Baroque Mini-Opera

Charpentier: Les Arts Florissants Soloists, Dallas Bach Society/James Richman Rubicon 1128 Total Time: 65:35 Recording:   ****/**** Performance: ****/****

In addition to an earlier new edition of Handel’s Messiah this year, the Dallas Bach Society is releasing this recording of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s (1643-1704) little Idyle en musique, Les Arts Florissants, H. 487 (1685).  This brief little chamber opera about the flourishing arts under Louis XIV until a dispute caused a brief struggle until Jupiter intervenes and Peace prevails.  The work is scored for an intimate ensemble of seven solo voices, a five-part chorus and small chamber ensemble. 

While Charpentier is an elusive historical figure with scant details about his life, we do know that his early studies were in Italy where he experienced the work of composers such as Carissimi which may have instilled a tad of melodic lyrical beauty in his own style.  He returned to work under the employ of one of the king’s cousins, the Duchess de Guise. He worked somewhat in the shadow of Lully and as one of those many transitory composers in the period, his work is sometimes overshadowed by the precedents and arrival points of musical style in the Baroque.  This is what also often endears him to those who come across his charming work. 

The dance-like quality of the music comes across from the start of the opening overture.  Each character of the arts (Music, Poetry, Painting, Architecture) present their contributions to the world with choral Warriors also commenting.  After this first scene, a “disturbing” sound signals the eventual arrival of Discord to toss everything in the air.  The Furies arrive as well and get their own brief dance.  Scene 3 finds Discord and Peace arguing things out a bit before Peace eventually wins out and has the last say in Scene 5 which features an opening Chaconne and a later sarabande and rondeau.  The sprinkling of instrumental music provides some delightful musical interludes across the work.  The orchestra provides crisp articulations and demark rhythmic accents well in the differing dance segments.  The accompanied arias also tend to focus on a continuo contingent that adds the necessary forward motion with the rest of the ensemble coming in to add in most of the transitional segments between the arias.  The soloists provide clear diction and have heavenly vocal lines that are performed exquisitely here.

The album is filled out with an innocuously pleasant little sonata in a dedicated performance.  Like the Bach suites, it is a wonderful collection of period dances concluding with a passacaglia and chaconne demonstrating Charpentier’s compositional skill.

The texts for the mini-opera are included here along with a brief essay.  The main issue some will have is that the album could use more indexing of tracks to access specific instrumental moments and the arias as well.  Instead, each scene is a single track which is most unfortunate for the lengthier scene 2 and 5 with its more orchestral sections. 

All told though, this is another fine release from the Dallas Bach Society which continues to be one of that region’s finest gems.  Here is a great chance to hear some wonderful French Baroque music carefully prepared and presented with joy.