Rameau (Les) Paladins

No longer the young radical, Rameau still satisfies in this late parody

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Jean-Philippe Rameau

Genre:

Opera

Label: Coviello

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 0

Mastering:

Stereo

Catalogue Number: COV21013

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
(Les) Paladins Jean-Philippe Rameau, Composer
Anders J. Dahlin, Atis, Tenor
Anna Virovlansky, Argie, Mezzo soprano
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Composer
Julia Surdu, Nérine, Soprano
Konrad Junghänel, Conductor
New Düsseldorf Hofmusik
Les paladins was composed towards the end of Rameau’s life. It was not a success: premiered at the Paris Opéra in February 1760, it was taken off after 15 performances and never revived. When Rameau made his operatic debut with Hippolyte et Aricie in 1733, he was considered in some quarters to be a radical who had betrayed the tradition laid down by the sainted Lully. He consolidated his position in the 1740s; but by the time of his death in 1764 he was viewed as distinctly old-fashioned (the first of Gluck’s “reform” operas, Orfeo ed Euridice, had appeared in 1762: adapted and expanded, it was staged in Paris 12 years later.)

Les paladins, a comédie-lyrique in three acts, was based on a fairy-tale by La Fontaine called “The dog that shook off money and gems”, which in turn was derived from Orlando furioso, the epic poem by Ariosto. The plot anticipates elements of both Il barbiere di Siviglia and Die Entführung. Atis, a paladin – a knight errant – has been separated from Argie, who, with her maid Nérine, is confined by her guardian Anselme. Their gaoler is Orcan, Anselme’s servant, who lusts after Nérine. Atis and his fellow paladins arrive to rescue Argie from Anselme, who wishes to marry her. They are assisted by Manto, a fairy of uncertain sex, and the lovers are reunited.

What the original spectators must have recognised, even if they didn’t like it, was the element of parody and indeed self-parody in the score. This is lost on most audiences today, who rarely have the chance of seeing a Rameau opera on stage (come on, Glyndebourne!). For instance, Argie’s “Triste séjour”, with its mournful bassoons, turns out to be a parody of “Tristes apprêts” in Castor et Pollux; while Manto’s “De ta gravité” could be straight out of Platée. More easily recognisable, perhaps, is the Italianate coloratura of Atis’s airs, heroically sung by Anders Dahlin.

This “live” recording from Duisburg is satisfying in its way: the excellence of the period orchestra, especially, enables one to appreciate the delights of Rameau’s instrumentation. To enjoy it as a drama, though, you need the brilliantly inventive production on DVD by Les Arts Florissants (Opus Arte, 4/06).

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