Marin Marais (1656-1728), the subject of the popular 1991 film Tous les matins du monde, is best known today for his music for gamba, but he was prolific in a variety of genres and wrote some of the most important French operas between Lully and Rameau. Because of its dramatic weakness, Sémélé (1709) was not among his most successful works, but the music, here reconstructed by Gérard Geay, is hugely attractive, and hearing the score is perhaps the most satisfying way to experience it. The fact that Marais uses recitative very judiciously, reserving it for the moments where the drama is most heightened, makes the opera especially effective on CD. In its place, he writes short arias and ensembles that have a strong inherent musical interest, so there are few dull moments in Sémélé. In spite of the opera's weak story, it's clear Marais was a master of writing for the stage; each act is beautifully shaped and structured. Some of the most effective parts are the orchestral sections -- dances, marches, chaconnes -- whose surprising originality and brilliant instrumentation make them pop out in bold relief from the vocal textures. Throughout, Marais' writing is graceful and inventive, making Sémélé an appealing work that should be of strong interest to fans of Baroque opera. The elegance and spirit of the performances are ideally suited to the opera.
Le Concert Spirituel, an ensemble using original instruments, founded and conducted by
Hervé Niquet, performs with the utmost precision and with terrific energy. The soloists are uniformly fine, with strong, clear, heroic voices, and agile coloratura, and they make the most of the drama of their roles. The recording is immaculate: clean and bright, with a good sense of presence.