Tags
Language
Tags
June 2023
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
28 29 30 31 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 1

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André Campra: Le Carnaval de Venise (2011)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André Campra: Le Carnaval de Venise (2011)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André Campra: Le Carnaval de Venise (2011)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 712 Mb | Total time: 70:14+58:47 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Glossa | # GCD 921622 | Recorded: 2011

At the dawn of a new century when André Campra was busy writing his Carnaval de Venise (1699), was the composer aware that he would be passing onto the Académie Royale de Musique a fabulous and legendary work that would remain without successors? And whilst the court of the ageing Louis XIV was endeavouring to conserve the spirit of the Grand Siècle at Versailles, Paris was already humming with the new ideas of the Age of Enlightenment.

Herve Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - George Frideric Handel: Messiah 1754 (2017)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Herve Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - George Frideric Handel: Messiah 1754 (2017)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - George Frideric Handel: Messiah 1754 (2017)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 601 Mb | Total time: 116:22 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Alpha | # ALPHA 362 | Recorded: 2016

Why yet another Messiah? ‘I went through the different scores that exist and decided on the very interesting 1754 version, which features five soloists. You must remember that, when Handel arrived somewhere to perform his oratorio, he had soloists of varying standards available to him. So he quickly revised his score accordingly… All this is directly related to the reality of Handel’s situation as a concert promoter. In those days, to earn a living from his music, a composer absolutely had to get his works performed and make a profit on the evening. The idea of not retouching a work to avoid “spoiling” or “distorting” it is a much more modern one. There must be around a dozen versions of Messiah (I won’t list them all). The 1754 version is rarely played because it calls for five soloists: two sopranos, alto, tenor and bass… I’ve opted here for an operatic interpretation, taking its cue from the drama inherent in this account of the life of Christ.

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems & Te Deum (2022)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems & Te Deum (2022)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems & Te Deum (2022)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 351 Mb | Total time: 68:05 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Alpha | # ALPHA868 | Recorded: 2021

‘Well, what a surprise – a divine surprise! I have delighted in immersing myself in the world of Handel for more than forty years now. But I must admit that I experienced yet another lesson in strength and joy when I toured and recorded the Dettingen Te Deumand the Coronation Anthems’, says Hervé Niquet. As a lover of large orchestral formations, he has assembled a number of instrumentalists and singers close to the (gigantic) forces used at the premiere, with a large band of oboes, bassoons and trumpets, and assigned the solo arias to the entire ‘chapel’. Niquet speaks of ‘the glittering power of this ceremonial music concocted by a Handel conscious of placing the best of his genius at the service of the crown and of history’, and he in turn invests all his enthusiasm and expressiveness in these works combining ‘grace and strength’. Fans of Champions League football will recognise in Zadok the Priestthe theme of that competition’s anthem!

Hervé Niquet, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra - Jean-Baptiste Lully: Persée (2005)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra - Jean-Baptiste Lully: Persée (2005)

Hervé Niquet, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra - Jean-Baptiste Lully: Persée (2005)
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) | Francais (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | (DTS, 5 ch) | 127 min | 7,47 Gb (DVD9)
Classical | Label: EuroArts | Sub: English, Francais, Deutsch | Recorded: 2004

In his position as the king’s composer, Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) created the opera Persée for Louis XIV. The opera was considered the crowning achievement of 17th century French music theatre and was widely recognized as Lully’s greatest work. Filled with dancing, fight scenes, monsters and special effects, this truly spectacular music drama recounts the thrilling story of Perseus, son of Zeus and heroic vanquisher of the snake-haired Gorgon Medusa. More than half a century after its premiere, Louis XV chose “Persée” to open the new Royal Opera House at the Chateau de Versailles, an event that formed part of the celebrations for the future Louis XVI’s marriage to Marie Antoinette.

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Charpentier: Te Deum; Messe de Mr de Mauroy; Leçons de Ténèbres & Méditations (2003)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Charpentier: Te Deum; Messe de Mr de Mauroy; Leçons de Ténèbres & Méditations (2003)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Te Deum; Messe de Mr de Mauroy; Leçons de Ténèbres & Méditations (2003)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 890 Mb | Total time: 180:02 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Glossa | # GSP 98003 | Recorded: 1999-2001

Niquet’s performances of Charpentier with Le Concert Spirituel are generally characterised by their liveliness. Niquet uses quite small forces, which emphasises the chamber nature of much of Charpentier’s writing, even in his grandest works. Niquet’s version of the Te Deum is one of the bounciest that I have heard. Crisp and lively playing from the instrumentalists emphasises the work’s dance-like qualities in a charming way. The faster sections are taken with remarkable speed and dexterity, but never feel rushed and they contrast admirably with the slower movements.

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: Daphnis et Chloé (2009)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: Daphnis et Chloé (2009)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: Daphnis et Chloé (2009)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 626 Mb | Total time: 45:38+55:44 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Glossa | # GCD 921618 | Recorded: 2001

Following on from Callirhoé (André Cardinal Destouches), Sémélé (Marin Marais) and Proserpine (Jean-Baptiste Lully), three important tragédies lyriques rescued from oblivion by Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel, Glossa is now restoring to the catalogue and within its collection of French Baroque opera, a recording made in Metz in December 2001: Daphnis et Chloé, the work which was to add Joseph Bodin de Boismortier to the roll call of the history of music in a most determined fashion.

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) | Francais (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | | 90 min | 4,93 Gb (DVD9)
Classical | Label: Château de Versailles Spectacles | Sub: Francais, English, Deutsch | Recorded: 2019

André Grétry's Richard Coeur de Lion, or Richard the Lionhearted, lay neglected until 2019 when a production by the Opéra Royal de Versailles was mounted. This album is taken from that performance, and it's very well recorded indeed. The opera was quite well known in its time and was even performed in the young U.S. (in Boston, in 1796), and it's a great find, a real crowd-pleaser as much today as at the end of the 18th century. The story is based on a probably imaginary tale of an episode during Richard's return from the Crusades, when he was imprisoned in Linz, Austria.

Hervé Niquet & Le Concert Spirituel - Boismortier: Don Quichotte Chez La Duchesse (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Hervé Niquet & Le Concert Spirituel - Boismortier: Don Quichotte Chez La Duchesse (2022)

Hervé Niquet & Le Concert Spirituel - Boismortier: Don Quichotte Chez La Duchesse (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 379 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 151 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:04:13
Classical, Opera | Label: Château de Versailles Spectacles

In 1743, two years before Rameau's Platee, Boismortier created an extraordinarily modern and madcap "comic ballet", Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse. As the exuberant plot unfurls, Cervantes' hero encounters monsters, enchanters, princesses and people from Japan, making for plenty of offbeat and audacious dances and choruses. Musical beauty rubs shoulders with satirical and irreverent comedy. A choice work for Herve Niquet, who leads his Concert Spirituel with unparalleled energy!

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 395 Mb | Total time: 73:18 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Château de Versailles Spectacles | # CVS028 | Recorded: 2019

André Grétry's Richard Coeur de Lion, or Richard the Lionhearted, lay neglected until 2019 when a production by the Opéra Royal de Versailles was mounted. This album is taken from that performance, and it's very well recorded indeed. The opera was quite well known in its time and was even performed in the young U.S. (in Boston, in 1796), and it's a great find, a real crowd-pleaser as much today as at the end of the 18th century. The story is based on a probably imaginary tale of an episode during Richard's return from the Crusades, when he was imprisoned in Linz, Austria. A trouvère singer named Blondel who serves the king realizes his predicament, sneaks into the prison disguised as a blind fiddler, and touches off an action-packed sequence of events with a romance involving the prison governor, a grand party, and a visiting Flemish countess whose troops rescue Richard in the end.

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean-Philippe Rameau: Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour (2014)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean-Philippe Rameau: Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour (2014)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean-Philippe Rameau: Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour (2014)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 621 Mb | Total time: 53:53+60:31 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Glossa | GCD 921629 | Recorded: 2014

The latest in Hervé Niquet's 'reinvigorations' of French operatic music from the Baroque and beyond for Glossa is Rameau’s 1747 'Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour'. A ballet heroïque in a prologue and three entrées, the whole work was designed to comprise a complete theatrical spectacle. Music for dancing – as befits a ballet – is given a prominent role and Rameau is able to create especially expressive symphonies and to give the choruses – even a double-chorus – an integral role in the action. Added to this are supernatural effects, and plots for the entrées which explored the then uncommon world of Egyptian mythology (including a musical depiction of the flooding of the River Nile).

Le Concert Spirituel & Hervé Niquet - Handel: Coronation Anthems (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Le Concert Spirituel & Hervé Niquet - Handel: Coronation Anthems (2022)

Le Concert Spirituel & Hervé Niquet - Handel: Coronation Anthems (2022)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 335 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 162 Mb | Digital booklet | 01:12:55
Classical, Choral | Label: Alpha Classics, Outhere Music

‘Well, what a surprise – a divine surprise! I have delighted in immersing myself in the world of Handel for more than forty years now. But I must admit that I experienced yet another lesson in strength and joy when I toured and recorded the Dettingen Te Deum and the Coronation Anthems ’, says Hervé Niquet. As a lover of large orchestral formations, he has assembled a number of instrumentalists and singers close to the (gigantic) forces used at the premiere, with a large band of oboes, bassoons and trumpets, and assigned the solo arias to the entire ‘chapel’. Niquet speaks of ‘the glittering power of this ceremonial music concocted by a Handel conscious of placing the best of his genius at the service of the crown and of history’, and he in turn invests all his enthusiasm and expressiveness in these works combining ‘grace and strength’. Fans of Champions League football will recognise in Zadok the Priest the theme of that competition’s anthem!

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 3: Te Deum; Motet "Diligam te, Domine" (1990)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 3: Te Deum; Motet "Diligam te, Domine" (1990)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 3: Te Deum; Motet "Diligam Te, Domine" (1990)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 283 Mb | Total time: 56:05 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Adda | # 581221 | Recorded: 1990

After receiving his musical training as a choirboy at the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur at Aix-en-Provence, he succeeded his teacher Guillaume Poitevin as music master there. After moving on several times, he became music master at the Cathedral of St Etienne at Toulouse in 1697, as the successor of Andre Campra. His musical style was influenced by Campra, as were most musicians of his day. He composed motets and a famous requiem, which was performed for the first time at his own funeral (because the original commissioner thought it too expensive to perform), but was later sung at the funeral services for the King of Poland in 1736, Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1764, and Louis XV in 1774. His motets were played frequently from 1728-1771 at the Concert Spirituel.

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 2: Requiem; Motet "Beatus quem elegisti" (1989)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 2: Requiem; Motet "Beatus quem elegisti" (1989)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 2: Requiem; Motet "Beatus quem elegisti" (1989)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 303 Mb | Total time: 64:38 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Adda | # 581175 | Recorded: 1989

After receiving his musical training as a choirboy at the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur at Aix-en-Provence, he succeeded his teacher Guillaume Poitevin as music master there. After moving on several times, he became music master at the Cathedral of St Etienne at Toulouse in 1697, as the successor of Andre Campra. His musical style was influenced by Campra, as were most musicians of his day. He composed motets and a famous requiem, which was performed for the first time at his own funeral (because the original commissioner thought it too expensive to perform), but was later sung at the funeral services for the King of Poland in 1736, Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1764, and Louis XV in 1774. His motets were played frequently from 1728-1771 at the Concert Spirituel.

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 1: Motet à St Jean Baptiste; Trois Lamentations (1989)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 1: Motet à St Jean Baptiste; Trois Lamentations (1989)

Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - Jean Gilles, Volume 1: Motet à St Jean Baptiste; Trois Lamentations (1989)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 253 Mb | Total time: 58:04 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Adda | # 581119 | Recorded: 1988

After receiving his musical training as a choirboy at the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur at Aix-en-Provence, he succeeded his teacher Guillaume Poitevin as music master there. After moving on several times, he became music master at the Cathedral of St Etienne at Toulouse in 1697, as the successor of Andre Campra. His musical style was influenced by Campra, as were most musicians of his day. He composed motets and a famous requiem, which was performed for the first time at his own funeral (because the original commissioner thought it too expensive to perform), but was later sung at the funeral services for the King of Poland in 1736, Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1764, and Louis XV in 1774. His motets were played frequently from 1728-1771 at the Concert Spirituel.

Hervé Niquet, Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra - Camille Saint-Saëns: Music for the Prix de Rome (2011)

Posted By: ArlegZ
Hervé Niquet, Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra - Camille Saint-Saëns: Music for the Prix de Rome (2011)

Hervé Niquet, Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, Flemish Radio Choir - Camille Saint-Saëns: Music for the Prix de Rome (2011)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 500 Mb | Total time: 57:44+56:39 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Glossa | # GCD 922210 | Recorded: 2010

Camille Saint-Saëns and the Prix de Rome… surely a strange bringing together of ideas, given that the composer never gained that coveted award and consequently never took up residence in the famous Villa Medici? All the same, Saint-Saëns entered the competition on two separate occasions and, peculiarly in the history of the competition, twelve years apart: firstly in 1852 and then in 1864. On the first occasion he was still an adolescent, devoted to worshipping the memory of the great Mendelssohn; behind him, by the time of the second occasion, were already a number of his masterpieces later to be confirmed by posterity – and he had become acquainted with Verdi and had also discovered Wagner.