Le Roi Danse (movie)

 

Corbiau repeats the Farinelli formula, artistic rivalry and social private drama expressed in dazzling, sometimes excessively lavish baroque scenery, music and costume, but this time in its ultimate setting: Versailles. There are two protagonists - first the title character, Louis XIV, the French sun-king who has two passions, establishing absolute rule over the realm -after decades of religious/civil wars- by divine right and artistic brilliancy as a dancer (like Nero wrote and performed musical poetry), and starts asserting himself against the entourage of his Medici mother, the regent during his minority, by building his palace complex and launching a 'fitting' new, mainly musical display of baroque show. Secondly the musical genius Gianbattista Lulli ('Jean-Baptiste') Lully, a Florentine upstart of unbridled ambition, quickly gains the king's absolute trust, despite the nationalist and aristocratic opposition to a low-born Italian, and thus turns the normally socially humble post of court composer into a 'ministerial portfolio of culture' of Cabinet rank, complete with a monopoly which kills of his artistic rivals in operatic theater. The script also weaves a complex web of court scheming for individual power and social interests, and even a sadistic but accidental murder on a young valet, producing a sensuous and sumptuous drama too complex for this format, ending in a freakish but fatal accident. Written by KGF Vissers

Musica Antiqua Koln, Reinhard Goebel - Chaconne

Release Date: March 11, 1997 Label: Archiv Number of discs: 1 Composer:Marini, Corelli, Purcell, Blow, Lully, Muffat, Pezel, Mayr Performer: Goebel, MAK cd info/ buy

Review:

This disc was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for "Best Small Ensemble Performance." ‘The innocent purpose of this anthology is solely and simply to fill the general listener’s cup with an hour of harmonious pleasure in 3/4 time and to open the door, for the connoisseur, to the 17th-century composer’s workshop.’ This, then, in the words of Reinhard Goebel, director of Musica Antiqua Köln, is the raison d’être of the present disc. Nine consecutive chaconnes may sound a little too much of a good thing, but the wonderfully varied melodic patterns that skilful composers could develop over an ostinato or ground bass fully justify the programme. Only one of the pieces here, Purcell’s Chacony Z730, will be immediately familiar to listeners other than specialists; for the rest, Goebel has explored some of the byways of the 17th century, omitting the great examples of the late Baroque chaconne by Bach and Rameau in favor of seldom-heard examples by Marini, Mayr, Pezel and others. The Cologne musicians’ carefully prepared menu begins with one of the noblest pieces on the disc, a chaconne with oboes and bassoon from Lully’s opera Phaëton; thereafter the exclusively string textures diminish and swell almost palindromically to reach a climax with a finely sustained chaconne by Georg Muffat. Disciplined and animated playing make the release stimulating and entertaining.-- Nicholas Anderson, BBC Music Magazine

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Lully - Divertissements - Laurens, Sempe, Capriccio Stravagante

 

Release Date: December 3, 1992 Label: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi Number of discs: 1 Composer: Jean-Baptiste Lully Performer: Laurens, Skip Sempe, Capriccio Stravagante cd info/ buy

Review:

Let it be known that this is one of the best recordings of Lully's music that has been made, and I have heard a lot of them. It even stands proud among the almost infinite number of recordings of Baroque music. OK, that is a bit of an over-statement, but if we exclude Baroque opera and purely instrumental music, and, say, limit ourselves to recordings of French Baroque music, this record can certainly stand with the best. Why? Well, for this reviewer, I am a lover of viola da gamba, and this recording is dominated by the viola da gamba sound -- very gut-string-centered, very mellow, very relaxed, very profound. Music to die to, I would say. Totally different in feeling from the more heavily Lully-ish "Divertissements de Versailles" recording of Les Arts Florissants, which puts more emphasis on the vocals and the beat. Something else to mention is the quality of the harpsichord playing by Skip Sempe (and all of the instrumentalists in the many instrumental tracks), and of course the quality of the soloists singing the French lyrics -- with a definite Monteverdian touch in several of the pieces. The style of the music is very similar to the Lament style that dates from Monteverdi at the latest and influenced the great French viola da gamba composers that Jordi Savall has introduced to the world. But this compositions by Lully dates from before Sainte-Colombe and Marin Marais -- and now I know where a lot of their inspiration came from. Lully's operas are sometimes pretty hard to get into, and we have all read the standard lukewarm or negative evaluations of his music in the older music reference books, but I think it has been fully revealed in recent years that Lully was not unworthy of the incredible trust and incredible resources that the Sun King invested in him.--Amazon

 

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Jean-Baptiste Lully - Les Divertissements de Versailles – Christie, Les Arts Florissants

Release Date: June 11, 2002 Label: Erato Number of discs: 1 Composer: Jean-Baptiste Lully Performer: William Christie, Les Arts Florissants cd info/ buy

Review:

This superb recording of Lully's compositions for the court of Louis XIV is almost perfect in delivery; evoking the sophistication, wit, grandeur, humor that would be required to entertain the most demanding of monarchs amidst the most sophisticated court in Europe of it's time. The character of Lully is fascinating. He was an Italian actor, dancer and musician who becomes the central creative force in music theatre in the court of the Sun King. However it is the flawless music that is contained in this recording that should be heard. With the use of period instruments William Christie and Les Arts Florissants paint a range of compositions from various operas and periods in Lully's career at the court of the Sun King. The ten vocalists have absolute control of the material, evoking the type of control that must have been necessary in the performances at court. In L'Amour Medecin, Comedy, Music, and Ballet sing together: "Let us three unite with zeal unrivalled." Certainly this was Lully's philosophy and vocation. In Georges Dandin we hear the followers of Love debate the followers of Bacchus as to whether Love or Drink is the greatest pleasure. The themes of erotic and romantic love appear to be those that Lully realized would best entertain the court. In Armide we have the lines: "The world lies at the feet of this young hero. How could one think he was born for nothing but war? He seems made for love." Mythological themes and sweet seduction are also frequent themes as in Isis where Pan sings: "Throw your vain fears to the winds! Put love and its charms to the test." The themes of seduction, romance, erotic love permeate the works, here presented with a structured and calculated text that does not give the singers permission to over-interpret. Such grand music, controlled themes and texts, must be a reflection of the atmosphere of power in the court of Louis XIV. Working within this confine of taste, order, and temporal power, Lully was a master and these works reflect that creativity of a composer who fully embraces the need to please and entertain in a politically safe manner as a central motivation for his efforts. Les Arts Florissants does a wonderful job re-creating these highly polished entertainments.—CB Collins

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Lully - Grands Motets Vols 1-3 - Herve Niquet

Lully - Grands Motets Vols 1-3 - Herve Niquet
Vocal | Eac, flac, cue | no log, cover | 3 CD, 824 MB
June 13, 2000 | Naxos | RapidShare

The court of Louis XIV was a lively and musically thriving place, and Jean-Baptiste Lully, who actually was Italian (Giovanni Battista Lulli) but became a naturalized French citizen, was right in the middle of it.

As director of one of the king's orchestras and as Superintendent of the King's Music, Composer of the King's Chamber, and Master of Music of the Royal Family, Lully's job included providing music for various entertainments, mostly ballets and other orchestral and stage works. Sacred choral music came later in Lully's career, and these recordings offers his most important masterpieces in this genre. The artful use of homophonic and polyphonic sections, double chorus, soloists, and orchestral color combine to give each of these substantial works the dramatic charge and forward-moving energy of a theatrical piece.

Le Concert Spirituel, named and fashioned after an 18th-century concert organization that specialized in performance of French "Grands Motets", is an outstanding modern advocate for Lully's music, with fine soloists, an excellent chorus that knows the true meaning of "ensemble", and instrumentalists (and conductor) who understand the importance of rhythm in realizing this music's full effect.--David Vernier

CD Content

cd1
Te Deum
Miserere
Plaude laetere Gallia

cd2
Quare fremuerunt
O Lachrymae
Dies irae
De profundis

cd3
Exaudiat te Dominus (Psalm 19)
O dulcissime Domine
Notus in Judaea Deus (Psalm 75)
Laudate pueri Dominum (Psalm 112)
Benedictus