The Baroque era merges to The Classical era | Rameau: Orchestral Suites Vol. 2

A marvelous excursion into the French Baroque era | Rameau: Orchestral Suites Vol. 2 - Anacréon; Daphnis et Eglé | Jean-Philippe Rameau, Mary Terey-Smith, ...

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	• Rameau: Orchestral Suites Vol. 2 - Anacréon; Daphnis et Eglé Jean-Philippe Rameau, Mary Terey-Smith, ... Naxos, 1997 average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Rameau Orchestral Suites

I like music from the baroque and early classical periods but didn't know much about Rameau so I ordered the two CD's of his orchestral suites. They are certainly pleasant listening music.

The Baroque era merges to The Classical era

I must admit that Rameau was a composer who I wasn't familiar with until I was surfing on Amazon looking for harpsichord music. Having bought and enjoyed his harpsichord music, I thought I'd try out his orchestral music. And it's good stuff too. In style it's perhaps similar to some early Haydn. Rameau was pretty much a product of his time, and there isn't really anything here that you will find "challenging". It's accesible, melodic and stands up well to repeat listenings. Anyone who finds classical music intimidating due to lengthy suites could do much worse that this.

Overall I give it 4 stars. There are many great momemts, but is occasioanly dull in parts, and at "only" 51 minutes, it's shorter than I expected from Naxos.

Overall a fine composer who should be heard more often these days.

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A marvelous excursion into the French Baroque era

Rameau was limited as to the instrumentation he could use to put together this series of suites. Percussion was limited to the tamborine. Melody depended on the string section with help from the oboes and flutes. You have to realize that these were dance melodies - dances peculiar to the Baroque stage and the Baroque audience. Embellishments are there but they do not detract from the main melody. Strings are used for theme and dynamics. They are the foundation of the driving force compelling the performance. Oboes and flutes are used for contrast. All in all, this CD leads to a very pleasant afternoon of French Baroque music. There is fast, there is slow. There is appreciation of Rameau as an orchestrator given the limited range of instruments he had to deal with. Highly recommended. The best of the Baroque.

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Not the best of Rameau's music, but adequately performed

Not the best of Rameau's music, but adequately performed.

If you want to hear the best of Rameau, try Les Indes Galantes in the exciting version by Bruggen et al on the Philips label.

The Baroque period produced a number of very great composers, and although many of them were highly versatile, producing masterpieces in a variety of media, there were also areas of unquestioned specialization. Bach wrote cantatas, Handel did operas and oratorios, Scarlatti was the great composer for the keyboard, Vivaldi mastered the concerto, and Rameau was the great ballet composer of his day. Most of his dance music was inserted into operas or other theatrical works, and it's perfectly possible to extract it in the form of orchestral suites, as is the case here. Performances are expert, and the music itself is prime Baroque. --David Hurwitz

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