This selection of orchestral music from Marin Marais’ opera Sémélé is just about perfect in every way. I can just hear you listening to the typically double-dotted opening of the Ouverture and saying, “Oh no, more of that French Baroque stuff that all sounds the same!” But have no fear: Marais had a real gift for writing distinctive tunes, and just as important, for keeping his rhythms fresh and lively. The result is delightful and, like Rameau’s orchestral music, conveys that indefinable physicality that represents the essence of the dance.
The range of pieces included here is huge, including such items as Air pour les Ménades, Premier air pour les guerriers, an imposing Chaconne, a couple of Airs pour les Furies, a Marche pour les Bergers (shepherds), and concluding with a rousing Tremblement de terre (earthquake). The scoring also is quite varied and includes the usual flutes, oboes, and bassoons, as well as trumpets and timpani. The playing of Montréal Baroque under Wieland Kuijken is lively and colorful as well as unusually warm, with a particularly lovely string tone that captures the rhythmic snap typical of period-instrument performances, with none of the frequently encountered dubious intonation or sheer timbral ugliness.
Sonically, I also have to say that this is one hell of a beautiful piece of engineering. The recording venue seems to have been particularly well chosen; the instruments fit the room. There’s plenty of ambience without excessive reverberation, and there’s no clouding of instrumental detail. The balance between the continuo and the larger ensemble has been managed flawlessly, and in all three SACD formats (surround, SACD, and regular stereo) the performance is equally enjoyable and equally natural sounding. If you’re a fan of the French baroque, you are going to want to add this to your collection posthaste. [12/4/2006]
