Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) was a popular and prolific composer although in the Paris of the Grand Siècle somewhat in the shadow of Jean-Baptiste Lully. Each year from 1684 to 1686, Charpentier offered a Christmas pastorale to his patron, Marie de Lorraine. After the death of the boy Louis-Joseph, the last male heir of the line, the figure of the Christ-Child occupied a central place in the devotions of the Guise family. The pastorales and antiphons written in this context and recorded here are at the intersection of the sacred and secular genres, of the popular and the learned. They evoke the mystery of birth with a moving blend of naïveté and gravity. It seems difficult to imagine these pieces being used in worship today but they would certainly make for a good concert. French conductor and musicologist Sébastien Daucé and his musicians in his Ensemble Correspondances do full justice to the material and listeners who enjoyed the debut release on the Harmonia Mundi label in 2013, 'Litanies de la Vierge', also by Charpentier, and reviewed elsewhere on the CR site, will be equally pleased with this collection. However, a word to the wise: this is a reissue in its CD format from 2016 and said CD is also included in the 2019 Harmonia Mundi box set 'A Baroque Christmas'. The deluxe double vinyl release is, though, new and those that prefer black plastic to silver discs will be impressed. The content is the same on both, opening with the "Pastorale sur la Naissance de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ (Première version H.483)" followed by the 10 "Grandes Antiennes O de l'Avent" and a few other bits and pieces that are worth hearing once but are perhaps only going to please completionists. The musicianship on display is excellent throughout and I am sure that admirers of Marc-Antoine Charpentier will be delighted. He is, though, a national treasure in his native France but less acknowledged in other nations.

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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