Ensemble Pierre Robert, Frederic Desenclos - Du Mont: Grands motets pour la Chapelle de Louis XIV au Louvre (2005)

Henri Dumont is an important figure in the French Baroque scene in that he was one of the pioneers in the development of the "grands motets" that saw such fruit in the works of Lully, Delaland, Campra, Charpentier, Rameau and others. From what I've heard of his music, it tends to be a bit more subdued and sombre that a lot of the festive and almost manic works from some of the others mentioned. This disc has four motets, one of which; Dialogus de anima, has been recorded before. I have the versions by Herreweghe and Rousset. The other three I had never heard before, but they are up to the same standard musically, and I find them to be totally beguiling. Dumont manages to spin out very vivid and beautiful lines in an often dense counterpoint whose tunefulness belies its complexity. No French fluff here.

The performance is a revelation. Before hearing his disc I did not know about Ensemble Pierre Robert or its director Frederic Desenclos, but I am a very ardent fan now. I can find nothing to fault from any of the performers. The instruments are tight and solid, but it is the singing here that really amazes me. None of the names are familiar to me, but every one of them is perfect. The way they blend is fantastic, and they make a warm, reedy sound that gives the music a certain gravitas. These motets are scored for a petite choir and a grand choir that doubles for added sonority, but Desenclos has used only the petit choir throughout.

What may be lost in sheer power is more than made up for by the wonderful clarity and presence of the sound. Alpha is one of those record labels that obviously takes pains to make recordings that sound good - really good in this case. Warm, rich, close, but not too dry. It's a model for others to emulate.

This cd does very well on every level; the music, the performance and the sound, so don't hesitate in getting it if this repetoire is to your liking.