Charpentier: David et Jonathas, H.490
Clément Buonomo, Les Temps Présents, Dominique Serve, David Witczak, Jean-François Lombard, Edwin Crossley-Mercer (baritone), Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Clément Debieuvre, Charles Gluchowski, Jean-François Novelli,...
The recording uses children’s and men’s voices only, replicating the sounds and the circumstances of the work’s first performance at the allmale college. This approach works best in the dramatic...
Charpentier: David et Jonathas, H.490
Clément Buonomo, Les Temps Présents, Dominique Serve, David Witczak, Jean-François Lombard, Edwin Crossley-Mercer (baritone), Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Clément Debieuvre, Charles Gluchowski, Jean-François Novelli,...
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The recording uses children’s and men’s voices only, replicating the sounds and the circumstances of the work’s first performance at the allmale college. This approach works best in the dramatic...
About
In 1688, the Jesuit college Louis-le-Grand staged David et Jonathas, a lyrical tragedy written by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Intended for the school’s students and interspersed with the Latin tragedy Saul, it depicted the fratricidal friendship of David and Jonathas, at the mercy of an implacable fate and a cruel struggle for power.
In this unique composition, Charpentier achieves both an expressive peak and an aesthetic counter-model to the Lullist archetype: no praise for the king in the prologue or machinery, few recitatives or divertissements. Instead, all the space is left to the drama and psychology of the characters, with a harmonic refinement supporting and magnifying a poignant expressivity, of which the aria ‘A-t-on jamais souffert plus rude peine’ is perhaps one of the high points.
Charpentier and his David et Jonathas are emblematic of the mission of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, which strives to bring to light composers and works that have fallen into oblivion.
This, Olivier Schneebeli's latest recording, is notable for its exclusive use of children's and men's voices - the soloists, almost all graduates of the Maîtrise and now among the most brilliant singers of their generations. Natacha Boucher's Jonathas stands out, strikingly innocent and deeply sincere, as close as possible to Charpentier's original version.
Artists
Clément Buonomo, Les Temps Présents, Dominique Serve, David Witczak, Jean-François Lombard, Edwin Crossley-Mercer (baritone), Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Clément Debieuvre, Charles Gluchowski, Jean-François Novelli, Natacha Boucher, Constance Mordant, Jonas Mordzinski, Egon Zanne, Achille Teissier, Olivier Schneebeli
Contents and tracklist
- Clément Buonomo, Les Temps Présents, Dominique Serve
- David Witczak, Les Temps Présents, Dominique Serve, Olivier Schneebeli
- David Witczak, Jean-François Lombard, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Jean-François Lombard, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Edwin Crossley-Mercer, David Witczak, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- David Witczak, Jean-François Lombard, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Les Temps Présents, Dominique Serve
- Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Clément Debieuvre, Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Clément Debieuvre, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Clément Debieuvre, Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Charles Gluchowski, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Jean-François Novelli, Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Natacha Boucher, Clément Debieuvre, Les Temps Présents, Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
- Constance Mordant, Les Temps Présents, Olivier Schneebeli, Dominique Serve
Awards and reviews
May 2024
The recording uses children’s and men’s voices only, replicating the sounds and the circumstances of the work’s first performance at the allmale college. This approach works best in the dramatic choruses and in the ensemble numbers...Olivier Schneebeli directs the instrumental ensemble Les Temps Présents with breadth and vigour.
June 2024
There is clarity and responsive flexibility throughout proceedings from Les Temps Présents, whose instrumentalists participate fully in Charpentier’s integrated dramatisations.
Pizzicato April 2024
The orchestra provides an unflagging passion…offering a sophisticated basis for the young voices with a fresh sound and mostly successful interplay.
Le Monde April 2024
The excellent Pages et Chantres of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles are exemplary, as are the soloists.
