Customer Reviews

Musique à la Chapelle Royale de Versailles [Box Set]

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I picked this up as a rather touristy tourist at Versailles, not expecting much and not paying much (a favorable risk/reward balance in my portfolio). It turned out to be a bit of a gem with several very good recordings. For reference, here are the individual recordings:

1. Henry Du Mont: Motets pour la Chapelle de Louis XIV / Olivier Schneebeli
2. Campra - Requiem ~ Miserere / Visse, Ragon, Harvey; Malgoire
3. Couperin - Motets / Piau, Pelon, Fouchécourt, Corréas, Les talens lyriques, Rousset
4. Clerambault: Chants et Motets /Mandrin, Les Demoiselles de Saint-Cyr
5. Rameau - Les Grands Motets / Gens · Desrochers · Fouchécourt · Lamy · Harvey · Loureiro de Sa · Imbodem · Le Concert Spirituel · Niquet

If you look around, you can find reviews of each of those CDs individually to convince you of their quality. As a box set, at the prices listed, this is a heck of a deal, and I'd happily urge it on anyone interested in French baroque music.

While I've got your attention, I might also mention the Deutsche Harmonia Mundi box set, which revived my interest in this period ("baroque beyond Bach" - copyright Wyote, 2009) and got me to listen to these recordings again as well: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 50th Anniversary Box.

Hurry up snap up one of the last few copies of this original edition version. At this price it's an incredible bargain, whereas the reissue, available new from Amazon, is only a good bargain. Here you have an outstanding selection of royal French Catholic church music of the 17th and 18th century. There's music by some less-than-well-known composers: Du Mont and Clerambault. Not all of the performances are perfect but all are absolutely world class. A required set for anyone interested in the French Baroque.