Les Arts Florissants, Paul Agnew - Les Maîtres du Motet

Published Saturday 8th December 2018
Les Arts Florissants, Paul Agnew - Les Maîtres du Motet
Les Arts Florissants, Paul Agnew - Les Maîtres du Motet

STYLE: Choral
RATING 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 174218-27930
LABEL: Harmonia Mundi HAF8905300
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Confession time: I had not heard of either of our featured composers, Andre Raison (c 1650-1719), Sebastien De Brossard (1655-1730) or Pierre Bouteiller (c 1650-c 1717), even if they are "masters of the motet". However if Paul Agnew and Les Arts Florissants think they are worthy of our attention then it will do us no harm to find out more. Actually there is little known for certain about these three composers so what we have here is an imaginary and imaginative reconstruction of a funeral service of the time, with sections of plainchant to mark the progress of the procession and punctuating the Mass at points where the clergy would themselves need to move. They took their funerals seriously in late 17th and early 18th century France so the music is appropriately sombre. However the musicianship of Les Arts Florissants, one of the leading early music and Baroque ensembles in the world, means we are in very safe hands and while the music may not set toes a-tapping in the way that Bach can, even at inappropriate times, what we have is worth hearing. The CD booklet notes run to seven pages in English plus texts and translations and include a reconstruction of a meeting between Brossard and Bouteiller by Erik Orsenna of the Academie francaise that helps to give us a plausible historical context for the music. Ultimately it is the music that decides whether we will return to this release in the future. I enjoyed hearing it and finding out more about these obscure composers but . . . and the but is inevitable. Will I return to it? Probably not.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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