The baroque spirit in all his musical shapes. Theatre music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Jean-Baptiste Lully to texts by Jean-Baptiste Molière, who was born 400 years ago.
This year, 2022, it has been 400 years since French playwright Jean-Baptiste Molière was born. He got to be 51 years old and died in 1673. Molière wrote over 30 plays, almost all of which were comedies. For some of these pieces he worked together with famous composers, who then set parts of the piece to music.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Jean-Baptiste Lully are two of those composers and we will share several of their pieces.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643 – 1704)
1. ‘La Couronne des Fleurs’ H.486 (1684)
– Overture
– Renaissez paraissez
– Marche des bergers
– Puisque Flore en ces lieux
– Trop indiscrets Zephirs
– Prélude pour animer les bergers
– Lorsqu’un torrent enfle par un soudain orage
– La foudre menaçant qui perce aves fureur
– Minuet
– Des héros fabuleux que la Grèce a chantes
– Louis fait a nos temps
– Quittez quittez bergers ce dessein temeraire
– Nous nous taisons Pan nous l’ordonne
– Bien que pour étaler les vertus immortelles
– Ballet Bergers et bergères
– Belles fleurs tous les ans
Moliere, ‘Les Amants magnifiques’, acte I, sc. 2
Teresa Wakim, Amanda Forsythe, Dorothee Mields, soprano. Mireille Lebel, mezzo-soprano. Jason McStoots, Zachary Wilder, tenor. Jesse Blumberg, baritone. Douglas Williams, bass. Boston Early Music Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles conducted by Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs
(CD: La descente d’Orphée aux enfers – La couronne des fleurs. CPO 777 876-2, 2014)
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632 – 1687)
2. From ‘Les Amants Magnifiques’ LWV 42 (1670)
– Quand je plaisais à tes yeux
– Minuet
– Vous chantez sous ces feuillages
– Ah que sur notre coeur
– Dormez beaux yeux
3. From ‘Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme’ LWV 43 (1670)
– A moi monsieur
Addition:
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
4. From ‘Le Sicilien’ H.497 (1667)
– Overture
Luanda Siqueira, soprano. Jean-François Lombard, Jérôme Billy, tenor. Virgile Ancely, bass. Les Paladins conducted by Jérôme Correas
(CD: Molière à l’opéra – Stage music by Jean-Baptiste Lully. Glossa GCD 923509, 2016)
On featured picture: Jean-Baptiste Molière
