The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Frans Bruggen - Rameau: Les Boreades, Dardanus (1987)

Dardanus (1739) was Rameau's third excursion into tragedie-lyrique and Les boreades (1764), his last. Both works contain rich seams of inventive and colourful orchestral movements from which Frans Bruggen has created orchestral suites. In the case of Dardanus the quantity of dances and other miscellaneous instrumental pieces is unusually substantial, since for a revival of the opera in 1744 Rameau had been obliged to compose much new music. Bruggen has made a modest selection which includes many, though not all of the finest movements in the score; notable amongst them are, perhaps, the Overture and Chaconne both of which are given expansive performances by the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. John Eliot Gardiner takes a crisper view of the music in his far more comprehensive recording of the Dardanus orchestral material for Erato. Bruggen's approach is mellower and rhythmically a little more relaxed, but his account is neither without dramatic impact nor excitement. The ''Bruit de guerre'' from the 1744 Act 4 is splendidly atmospheric.
Some readers will already have encountered Bruggen's suite from Les boreades since he took it on tour to France, England, Germany and The Netherlands last year. Rameau was 80 when he wrote the work but we could reasonably be forgiven for not suspecting it. The music is as inventive as ever and wonderfully fresh with many of the composer's characteristic strokes of genius on display when writing for wind instruments; clarinets are sometimes to the fore as they are, for example, in the delightful Overture with its decidedly early classical bias—a central section for horns and clarinets calls to mind the Mannheimers. The score is plentifully seasoned with original ideas and both rhythms and melodies jostle for pride of place in the listener's mind. There is some engaging bassoon and unison clarinet writing, for instance, in the second of two Gavottes, followed by a rhythmically catchy ''Contredanse en rondeau''. It is Rameau's tendresse, however, which leaves the most indelible mark on my sensibilities. It's to be found in movements such as the ''Air andante et gracieux'', suggestive of folk derivation, and the beguiling ''Entree d'Abaris, Polimmie, les Muses et al'' whose elegiac spirit could fail to stir only the hardest and most prosaic of hearts.
All told, there is nearly an hour's music on the LP with Les boreades taking the lion's share of the time. The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century under Bruggen give imaginative and effectively articulated performances of repertoire which, to my ears, remains as unfailingly enchanting as ever. And should you enjoy the dances of Les boreades as much as I have done, do consider getting hold of the complete opera in the fine performance under John Eliot Gardiner (Erato STU715343, 10/83). The Bruggen recording was made during live performances. Recommended.