M.A.Charpentier: Musiques pour les Comedies de Moliere

It would not, perhaps, be too much of a stretch to think of Marc-Antoine Charpentier as a sort of late 17th century Poulenc. Poulenc is known for two distinct artistic faces, one a comedian of the zaniest sort, and the other capable of expressing the most profound emotional depth. Charpentier's work lay in almost complete obscurity for nearly two centuries when in the late 20 century it began being brought to light, revealing one of the most fertile and inventive musical minds of the Baroque. He has been known almost exclusively for his religious music, and particularly for his gift for expressing the darkest grief. His lighter music has taken longer to catch on, but it exposes a broad and sometimes wicked sense of humor. (His most outrageous piece, Epitaphium Carpentarii, using his own text, is a faux-serious memorial cantata written in honor of his own deceased self that parodies, almost blasphemously, the liturgical music at which he excelled, and that shamelessly mocks his most despised professional rival.) The pieces here are considerably milder in their bite, but effective nonetheless. The album features overtures, dances, songs, and ensembles he wrote for Moliere's comedies. The music encompasses the full range of the drama, so not every track is a knee-slapper, but some of the vocal ensembles are surprisingly goofy. The most substantial set of pieces comes from the music for Le Malade imaginaire, Moliere's last comedy, and the quality of the incidental pieces is consistently high; the music is melodically inventive, with colorful instrumental writing, and the tone is often fancifully silly. The sections of underscored spoken dialogue are among the most entertaining, and best illustrate the composer's gift for comedy. It helps that the music receives an exceptionally spirited performance, both musically and dramatically from Hugo Reyne leading Les Solistes du Marais and La Simphonie du Marais. Listeners shouldn't expect singers of international stature; these are very fine ensemble singers, though, who are accomplished at comedy, and there is plenty of mugging that seems perfectly in character in the material. These lively performances make an excellent introduction to Charpentier's lighter side.