Castor & Pollux
Jean-Philippe Rameau
A lyrical tragedy in five acts (1754 version). At the height of the famous Querelle des Bouffons (1754), the elderly Rameau yielded to insistent requests from the Académie Royale de Musique for a major revision of Castor and Pollux, 17 years after the lukewarm reception of its premiere. He deleted the Prologue and made substantial modifications to the dramatic structure, with a completely new first act! But the original has continued to overshadow the revision, unjustly so when one considers the modernity of its orchestration. The inspired direction of Raphaël Pichon shows the extent to which this music heralds the Classical orchestra.
harmonia mundi
2 hours 19 minutes – 2 CDs – May 2015
Awards
La presse en parle
‘Clear, precise and refined’ (2015, Rupert Christiansen)
‘Raphaël Pichon energetically shapes the 1754 version of Rameau’s musical tragedy. The Pygmalion ensemble has an uncommon sense of drama.’ (2015, Anna Picard)
‘With the instrumentalists and choristers of his Pygmalion ensemble, as well as an impeccable team of soloists, Raphaël Pichon delivers the best complete CD recording of Castor and Pollux (1754 version), one of the composer’s purest masterpieces.’ (2015, Michel Parouty)