Jean-Paul Fouchécourt - Rameau Operatic Arias
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Composer: Jean-Philippe RameauConductor: Ryan Brown
Orchestra: Opera Lafayette
Performer: Jean-Paul Fouchecourt
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2007-09-25
Music Label: Naxos
Music reviews of Jean-Paul Fouchécourt - Rameau Operatic Arias
Music Review: " Que cet album est agréable ... " -- Pure Enchantment
Rating: 5 Stars
[The ballots are in and I am ready to declare this my favorite recording of 2007 -- so just skip this review and buy the album! Amazon could sure help out by offering some excerpts!]
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt is probably the world's reigning haute-contre. The term refers to a naturally high tenor voice, not relying on falsetto, that was an important vocal type in French baroque opera. In range and quality it might be considered akin to the familiar "Irish tenor" sound, although the two are deployed in completely different styles of music.
One of the crowning roles in French baroque opera is the title role in Rameau's comic opera Platée. The peculiar plot notwithstanding, Rameau lavishes on this work some of his most inspired music. The character of Platée is a frog nymph done in drag. The fact that Jean-Paul Fouchécourt has never committed his interpretation to disk is frankly one of the most notable omissions in the ongoing revival of Rameau's operas.
This new release from Naxos compensates handsomely. It features five extracts from Platée, including Thespis's charming ode to Bacchus from the prologue. Other works represented are the great tragédies lyriques, a couple of pastorales, an episodic entertainment, and a ballet. The program is expertly organized to showcase this variety of styles. Some tracks are brief ariettes, others are extended solo scenes. Instrumental passages that underscore the richness of Rameau's invention are seamlessly interwoven, enhancing the endless flow of charms.
The singing, in a word, is faultless - supple, sensitive, beguiling, touching, stylistically alert, and nicely varied throughout. The tender beauty of Fouchécourt's voice, the aptness of his interpretations, bring a tear to the eye, a smile to the lips, and a lump to the throat. In other recordings (Gluck's Orphée et Euridice) I have found his voice a touch too sunny to be convincing in heavier passages. No such limitation afflicts this disk. The somber arias from Castor et Pollux and Dardanus are wholly successful, impassioned and quite moving. Perhaps harder to pull off are the lighter pastorales and entertainments, with their rather ambling structure and fragrant but vague melodies. Yet Fouchécourt's sensitive phrasing and emotional presence maintain their continuity. In fact, the extended scene from Naïs, a musical depiction of lovelorn longing at daybreak, is a minor tour de force. The last track on the album is the aforementioned ariette in praise of Bacchus. It is the perfect valedictory song and the insouciant bit of stage business that caps the performance will send you off with a chuckle.
Ryan Brown and Opera Lafayette are not, to my knowledge, big names in the French baroque scene. But I found their playing to lack nothing in balance, pacing, style, and overall accomplishment. The strings have a particularly sweet sound, but with the grave tones needed to underpin the tragic pieces. The winds are nicely integrated - Rameau's use of the bassoon is always telling - and the clavecin is appropriately recessed instead of tinkling away at the sonic forefront. Again, the extended passage from Naïs, where the high strings and winds delightfully illuminate the dawn, highlights the orchestra's refinement as much as the singer's. In short, the orchestra is in perfect partnership with the singer throughout.
Needless to say, Fouchécourt's French is impeccable; and so is his attention to the subtle interplay of language and rhythm, which is an essential Ramellian element. The booklet is a gem too - the brief background notes and plot summaries, along with texts and fine translations, are just what one needs to enjoy the performances unencumbered.
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