It is tempting to say William Christie and Les Arts Florissants perform Rameau's opera Zoroastre the exact way the composer imagined it. Indeed, there are many riches in this performance: impeccable singing, a magnificent chorus, and an orchestra that perfectly captures the opulent beauties and complexities of French Baroque. A late work, Zoroastre may lack the consistent brilliance of Rameau's masterpiece Castor et Pollux, but this composition's daring formal conception, which presages the fluidity of late nineteenth century opera, richly compensates any perceived absence of structural balance. The story, centering on Zoroastre's struggle to save his beloved Amelite from the evil Abramanr, contains Masonic references. Was Rameau a Mason? Scholars cannot answer that question. True, Zoroastre is about the struggle between good and evil symbolized, respectively, by light and darkness, but what fascinates the listener is not the Masonic story, but Rameau's unique ability to represent archetypal dichotomies in purely musical terms by relying on musical symbolism. Thus, in Act IV, Rameau's musical representation of sinister forces directly appeals to the listener's intuition. Indeed, the sheer variety of dark tones, along with astonishing outbursts of sheer dramatic power, bespeak Rameau's expressive genius, which reveals the unfathomable essence of evil in ways that language cannot emulate. Rameau's descriptions of elevated spiritual states, symbolized by light, are even more astonishing as demonstrated by "O lumiere vive et pure," sung by Zoroastre and the chorus in Act III. Here, as well as in the "Tout se ranime," Zorastre's duet with Amelite, the musicians reach the pinnacle of their art: with faultless phrasing, breathtaking expressive intensity, and impeccable dramatic presence, the vocal soloists capture the essence of Rameau's music. The superb orchestra plays with the compellingly primal immediacy of a living voice.
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