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Rameau - Platee

Lucie Skeaping delves into Rameau's comic masterpiece Platee. A colourful work, it turned many of the operatic conventions of the 18th century on their head.

Lucie Skeaping looks at Jean Philippe Rameau's comic masterpiece, the baroque opera Platée.

Rameau wrote the opera when he was in his sixties, for an entertainment at a court wedding at Versailles. The story tells of a foolish and ugly nymph who believes she is loved by Jupiter. The sense of the absurd permeates Rameau's score, with the composer and his librettist managing to create a wonderfully imaginative and colourful piece which turn many of the operatic conventions of the time on their head.

Rameau's contemporary, Melchior Grimm, considered the piece "sublime" while for Jean Jacques Rousseau it was a "divine" work. Even today it succeeds in firing the imaginations of opera producers and conductors, not least the French conductor Marc Minkowski, who explains why in the programme.

1 hour

Last on

Sun 16 Mar 2014 14:00

Music Played

  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Act 1 Scene 6, "Soleil, tu luis en vain" and Tambourins

    Singer: Véronique Gens. Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD1 tracks 18 & 19.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Prologue scene 3, "Qu'ose-t-on, sans l'Amour"

    Singer: Véronique Gens. Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD1 track 5.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Act 2 Scene 5, "Himen, Himen"

    Singer: Jennifer Smith. Singer: Guy de Mey. Singer: Bernard Deletré. Singer: Gilles Ragon. Ensemble: Ensemble Vocal Françoise Herr. Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD2 track 11.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Act 2 Scene 5, "Aux langueurs d'Appollon"

    Singer: Jennifer Smith. Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD2 track 7.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Act 3 Scene 6, "Voici l'instant de terminer le feinte"

    Singer: Vincent Le Texier. Singer: Guy de Mey. Singer: Gilles Ragon. Singer: Guillemette Laurens. Singer: Bernard Deletré. Ensemble: Ensemble Vocal Françoise Herr. Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD2 tracks 24 & 25.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Prologue scene 3, "Formons un spectacle nouveau"

    Singer: Guy de Mey. Ensemble: Ensemble Vocal Françoise Herr. Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD1 tracks 6 & 7.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Act 3 Scene 3 Chaconne

    Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD2 track 14.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Overture to 'Platee'

    Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292 45028-2, CD1 track 1.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Act 2 Scene 3, "A l'aspect de ce nuage"

    Singer: Gilles Ragon. Singer: Vincent Le Texier. Ensemble: Ensemble Vocal Françoise Herr. Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD2 tracks 3 & 4.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platee - Act 1 Scene 4, "Je m'attendris"

    Singer: Gilles Ragon. Ensemble: Ensemble Vocal Françoise Herr. Orchestra: Les Musiciens du Louvre. Conductor: Marc Minkowski.
    • ERATO : 2292-45028-2, CD1 tracks 12 & 13.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Overture to Platée

    Performers: Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - prologue scene 3 "Qu'ose-t-on, sans l'Amour"

    Performers: Veronique Gens (soprano), Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - Prologue Scene 3 "Formons un spectacle nouveau"

    Performers: Guy de Mey (tenor), Ensemble Vocal Francoise Herr, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - Act 1 Scene IV "je m'attendris"

    Performers: Gilles Ragon (tenor), Ensemble Vocal Francoise Herr, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - Act 1 Scène VI "Soleil, tu luis en vain"

    Performers: Veronique Gens (soprano), Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - Act 2 Scene III "A L'aspect de ce nuage"

    Performers: Gilles Ragon (tenor), Vincent Le Texier (bass-baritone), Ensemble Vocal Francoise Herr, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - Act 2 Scene 5 "Aux langueurs "d'Appollon"

    Performers: Jennifer Smith (soprano), Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - Act 2 Scène V "Himen, Himen"

    Performers: Jennifer Smith (soprano), Guy de Mey (tenor), Bernard Deletré (bass-baritone), Gilles Ragon (tenor), Ensemble Vocal Francoise Herr, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - Act 3 Scene III Chaconne

    Performers: Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.
  • Jean‐Philippe Rameau

    Platée - Act 3 Scene VI "Voici l'instant de terminer le feinte"

    Performers: Vincent Le Texier (bass-baritone), Guy de Mey (tenor), Gilles Ragon (tenor), Guillemette Laurens (mezzo-soprano), Bernard Deletré (bass-baritone), Ensemble Vocal Francoise Herr, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)

    • ERATO.
    • 2292-45028-2.

Broadcasts

  • Sat 18 Dec 2010 13:00
  • Sun 16 Mar 2014 14:00

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