Customer Reviews

Rameau: Dardanus

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Rameau, Dardanus.

This superb recording should please both those who consider themselves "Ramistes" and those who simply enjoy pre - 19th century music. Previous recordings of Rameau have always seemed to me to be rather dull, but this one is full of energy and commitment and directed with flair.

The cast is generally a good one, and in the case of the eponymous hero, sublime, and Minkowski obtains playing of real verve from his orchestra; the choral singing is incisive throughout. The part of the heroine, Iphise, is sung by the flavour-of-the-month soprano, Véronique Gens, and she never fails to give pleasure with her lovely tone, although her manner of address does not seem to me quite distinctive enough for a Rameau heroine, and her sense of the words is at times rather generalized. Her would - be lover Antenor is sung by Laurent Naouri, who gives a nobly dramatic account of "Monstre Affreux," and the wizard Ismenor is taken with credible sympathy by Jean-Philippe Courtis. Mireille Delunsch enjoys herself in the soubrette - ish role of Venus, and the much - hyped Magdalena Kozená turns up in a couple of smaller parts.

The finest singing on the recording is, appropriately, by the Dardanus, John Mark Ainsley, who takes himself completely seriously in the role - there is none of the tongue-in-cheek attitude that afflicts some singers in such parts, and he is equally credible as the conquering hero and the forlorn lover. His singing is always lyrical, his French completely idiomatic and his mastery of the complex music absolute, but it is his attention to words which gives the purest delight; at every turn one is startled by some grace in delivery or some nuance of phrasing - the little air "D'un Amant empressé lui parler le langage" is full of these, and his scene with Iphise is heart-rendingly done - "Vous fuyez, inhumaine" is an especially poignant moment.

There were one or two instances in his performance where I found myself wondering if his tone, with its distinctive sweetness, were not hardening a little, and if he is not doing too much of the wrong kind of music for him; his recent Lensky at ENO had wonderful moments but he struggled to rise above the orchestra during the aria. On the evidence of the present recording, he should perhaps be preparing to take on the mantle of the French classical tenor of our time, in such roles as Admetus and Pylades - amazing, really, to be able to say this about an English singer!

This "Dardanus" is fresh, vital and fascinating, combining the best virtues of live performance with an utterly precise sound. Fully deserving of five stars.

This certainly is not Rameau's finest opera, but this recording is marvelous. This was on my Amazon "wish list" and when I played it , I was very, very impressed with the excitement Maestro Minkowski generates from his orchestra. All 154 minutes of the 2 CD set are a pleasure to listen to. The Archiv (Deutche Grammophon) engineers have done a superb job in capturing the liveliness of the performance. The soloists are first rate, especially Veronique Gens. Rameau is gaining in prestige ( New York City Opera is staging his works) and this recording certainly will enhance his popularity.

After listening to DG's new Manon Lescaut, it is obvious that there are no decent Puccini tenors around, but while listening to this new Dardanus it also was obvious that these baroque operas are the real glory of our time. This is not the first recording of Dardanus, there was a 1977 recording in ERATO with a marvelous cast that included Frederica von Stade, Christiane Eda-Pierre and Jose van Dam, but it was incompetently conducted by Raymond Leppard with an inadequate modern-instrument orchestra. Now we are fortunate to have a very good and stylish period-orchestra recording from Radio France. John Mark Ainsley is certainly a better Rameau tenor than Jose Cura is a Puccini one. Veronique Gens is exquisite as usual and the rest of the cast is admirable, even if we miss the great Jose van Dam. If you have never heard a Rameau opera, you are missing a lot to put it mildly. Here is France greatest composer in all his glory.

This is one of the best 18th century french opera recording you can acquire.
Do not hesitate.

My first exposure to French Baroque opera was the recording of Jean-Baptiste Lully's Armide, on the Harmonia Mundi label. This exquisite, climatic recording only whetted my appetite for more of the French Baroque style.

The last five to ten years have yielded a wealth of great baroque recordings, and Dardanus is a fine example. Marc Minkowski, a self-taught conductor, delivers a performance full of frisson and passion. It should be noted that this was captured from a live performance, though you'd never know it, so great is the audio quality. The fact that it is from a live source has brought some unwarranted, hyperbolic criticism from stuffy opera critics. They claim that it appears as more of a series of highlights, rather than a cohesive, dramatic whole. I heartily disagree, and am 100% satisfied with the orchestra and solo singing performances. There are points in which the orchestra plays very soft, and then fortissimo.

Rameau hits his stride in the last half of the opera. Hearing it for the first time, I can see how he is pushing French Baroque past what was done by Lully. Unlike Armide, which is uniform from start to finish, Rameau explores different moods and melodies. Consider the jubilant, joyful "Paix Favorable, Paix Adorable", and Ainsley's riveting, heartwrenching delivery of "Lieux Funeste". The latter floors me everytime I hear it.

This recording more than deserves a space in your operatic collection.

P.S.- Veronique Gens is a not a flavor-of-the-month soprano, that title belongs to Anna Netrebko!