Customer Reviews

Jean-Philippe Rameau: In Convertendo

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This DVD contains 2 separate titles.

Part 1 consists of musical performances of Rameau's works, about 39 minutes in total. The first work is the grand motet "In Convertendo", which lasts about 24 minutes. The vocal soloists are Nicolas Rivenq, Sophie Daneman, Jeffrey Thompson and Olga Pitarch. The second work is a selection of 3 pieces from Pièces de Clavecin en concert (15 minutes total). The ensemble musicians are Béatrice Martin (harpsichord), Patrick Cohën-Akenine (violin), Nima Ben David (viola da gamba) and Serge Saitta (flute). The vocal soloists are mostly good, if not stellar. Les Arts Florissants directed by William Christie play superbly as one expects.

Part 2 is a documentary "The Real Rameau" (58 minutes), directed by Reiner E. Moritz. It contains some biographical information about Jean-Philippe Rameau. The lion's share of the documentary appropriately goes to the interviews with William Christie and with Sylvie Bouissou,(*) two persons who probably have contributed more than anyone else to the revival of Jean-Philippe Rameau's music. Other interviewees include John Eliot Gardiner, Robert Carsen, Andrei Servan and Laurent Pelly. It's a good, honest documentary by a well-known director and producer, most definitely *not a promotion* as stated in another review. (It does quote some segments of the opera performances released in other Rameau DVDs.) For those who follow the Opus Arte Rameau DVD series, this name should be very familiar.

Technically, The picture format is: 16:9. The Part 1 has both DTS Surround and LPCM Stereo sound tracks. Part 2 documentary offers only standard Dolby Digital Stereo. Subtitles are offered in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

This is not one of my top-drawer Rameau DVDs, but is nonetheless worth viewing. A keeper.

Recommended for anyone who is interested in Rameau.

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(*) Dr. Sylvie Bouissou is an eminent musicologist and editor of Opera Omnia de Rameau. She has had a brilliant career: Bouissou won three first prizes at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, five(!) first prizes at the Conservatoire national de Région in Versailles. She got her doctorate in musicology from the Université Paris-IV-Sorbonne and a Habilitation from the Université Paris I, Sorbonne-Panthéon. After entering CNRS in 1988, she founded the Institut de recherche sur le patrimoine musical en France (Research Institute for Musical Heritage in France) in 1996 and served as its director until 2003.... In 1993, together with the French Ministry of Culture and the Francis and Mica Salabert Foundation, she founded Musica Gallica, a national collection of French musical heritage. She served as its secretary-general from 1993 to 2003, thereby taking part in the publication of more than one-hundred volumes. Not surprisingly, she is the author of many articles on (French) baroque music.

The "In Convertendo" grand motets (5 stars) only last 30Min the rest of the DVD are simply interviews and promotions of other Rameau DVDs. Not a very good deal.

This is French baroque at its best level. Not only does the DVD contain a first class performance, it also has really interesting interviews with Maestro Christie and other specialists that discuss the relevance of the pieces. The soloists were generally good, although I would have preferred a different haute-contre soloist, as Jeffrey Thompson doesn't possess the performance skill one would expect at this level of performing, not being able to peacefully express the text without making strange faces.