Among the finest performers of early music and arbiters of period practices,
Christophe Rousset and
Les Talens Lyriques turn their attention here to the composer whose work inspired the ensemble's name and purpose. In this 2000 disc devoted to the music of Jean-Philippe Rameau,
Rousset and his ensemble turn in vigorous and appealing performances that present Rameau's music in a new light. The chaste and sometimes severe Pièces de clavecin en concerts are dramatically transformed in these sumptuous versions for string orchestra and continuo. Transcribed as six concerts in six parts -- presumably by Jacques-Joseph-Marie Decroix in 1768 -- Rameau's music no longer sounds dry or clinical, but lively, amusing, and filled with dramatic flair. The authenticity of these transcriptions may be debated, but the results in performance are so delightful that authorship seems a trivial concern.
Rousset and company accept the arrangements as valid, and their exciting readings should put the matter to rest. The sound of the recording is quite resonant, and one might complain that the live acoustics of the studio tend to blur the parts too much. Yet this is easily forgiven when the strings' increased luster is weighed in the balance, and when choice dissonances melt into a halo of glorious sonority, the effect is stunning.