Texte paru dans: / Appeared in: Harmonia Mundi |
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Appréciation d'ensemble / Overall evaluation :
 ½ |
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Reviewer: Kate
Bolton-porciatti
Charpentier’s Histoires
Sacrées stand somewhere between a chamber oratorio and a mini sacred opera.
At once intimate and richly scored, these musical tableaux recount the
stories of Biblical figures, saints and martyrs. In the histories of Judith,
Mary Magdalene and Saint Cecilia, Charpentier breathes life into the female
‘moral exemplars’ with music by turns tender and intense, while in Mors
Saülis et Jonathae, the lives of Saul, Samuel, David and Jonathan are
threaded together in a tapestry of recitatives, airs, duets and choruses.
Don’t expect high drama and showy
vocals: Charpentier’s idiom is subtly understated, and the Latin texts – often
set as liquid recitations rather than foot-tapping melodies – were intended to
edify rather than entertain. Sébastien Daucé judges their tone sensitively in
these chamber-like performances with a team of well-matched singers. It’s a
treat to hear the sable-toned alto Lucile Richardot as the penitent Magdalene,
the supple voice of Caroline Weynants as Judith, and soprano Judith Fa, a
radiant Saint Cecilia. The soloists are discreetly integrated into the
instrumental ensemble which, in turn, paints a delicate setting with
soft-coloured strings and flutes. By comparison, Il Seminario Musicale’s 2001
recording of three Histoires is more operatic – the singers to the foreground of
the musical canvas. Along with the two audio CDS is a bonus DVD of three works, filmed in the Royal Chapel at Versailles. The modest tableau-like staging (in contemporary garb) is unobtrusive but ultimately adds little to the musical experience.
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