In Context: Rameau maître à danser

Photo: Philippe Delval

Widely considered among the foremost interpreters of early-music for modern audiences, celebrated conductor William Christie and his acclaimed ensemble Les Arts Florissants present two pastoral opera-ballets that burst with the sensuous promise of spring. Originally penned by 18th-century French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau for the court of Louis XV, these enchanting operatic miniatures, La naissance d'Osiris and Daphnis et Églé, served as both a symbol of the court’s opulence and a source of evening entertainment. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below, and on social media using #Rameau.

Program Notes

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Rameau, maître à danser (PDF)

Les Arts Florissants and BAM: A 30-Year Romance

What does an American in Paris do? If you are William Christie, you start a music ensemble excavating long-ignored French Baroque opera! The Buffalo-born, Harvard and Yale-educated music scholar founded Les Arts Florissants in 1979. Named after the 17th-century opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier—who, at that point, was known mostly as the composer who gave the Eurovision Song Contest its theme music—Les Arts Florissants was formed as a period instrument ensemble dedicated to Baroque music. Ten years later, Christie brought his ensemble and the now-legendary production of Atys to BAM, starting a 30-year romance of Baroque operas, many of them seldom heard or seen, a significant component of BAM’s artistic legacy.

With Rameau, maître à danser (Mar 1—3), Les Arts Florissants presents a double bill of two rarely seen opera-ballets by Jean-Philippe Rameau, continuing the artistic collaboration. Here are some other highlights.

Rethinking Rameau: On Bringing Two Rarely Seen Opera-Ballets to the Stage

Photo: Philippe Delval

By Sophie Daneman

Daphnis et Églé and La naissance d’Osiris—two unfamiliar titles, two works that have rarely seen the light of day. Setting them alongside Rameau’s immense tragédies-lyriques one might be tempted to dismiss them as flimsy entertainments, but on closer inspection they reveal a world full of charm, humanity, sensuality, and grace—products of a genius in his 70s with all the wealth of his life and art behind him. These are not pieces written for the opera houses of Paris but for the private, more intimate, court performances at Fontainebleau. Away from the glare of the Paris critics at a time when the musical world was in the throes of the tumultuous Querelle des Bouffons (a battle of musical rivals France and Italy), Rameau was able to experiment with more European styles and, despite the obvious constraints of space (possibilities for “les merveilles” being somewhat limited), there is a great sense of freedom that emanates from these scores—Rameau making his own journey through the culturally diverse world of the Age of Enlightenment.

In Context: David et Jonathas

Marc-Antoine Charpentier's David et Jonathas—conducted by William Christie and performed by Les Arts Florissants—runs at BAM until Sunday, April 21. Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of articles, videos, and original blog pieces related to the show. For those who've already seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.