Rameau: Une Symphonie Imaginaire.

Rameau: Une Symphonie Imaginaire. Marc Minkowski, Les Musiciens du Louvre. Archiv B0004478-02.

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) was one of France's great early composers of operatic and choral music, but he never actually wrote anything specifically for the orchestra alone. Maestro Marc Minkowski has attempted to make up for this oversight by putting together an "Imaginary Symphony," a purely instrumental montage or pastiche made up of bits and pieces of Rameau's orchestral music interludes, overtures, and ballets. The result doesn't quite gel, but it's a fascinating overview of the composer's style.

The "Symphony" borrows from things like Castor et Pollux, Les Fetes d'Hebe, Dardanus, Le Temple de la Gloire, Les Boreades, La Naissance d'Osiris, Hippolyte & Arcie, Nais, and others. And it begins with an overture from Zais that features a wonderful percussion element that will have your subwoofer woofing on end. I wish I could say I was more pleased with the whole enterprise, but I found it slightly and understandably disjointed, like a best-of hodgepodge of Baroque favorites. At the same time, it's hard to deny the genius of Rameau, and the music makes enjoyable easy listening.

While I don't usually care for live recordings, this one is done with a relatively small group of period musicians miked fairly close up, giving a better sense of intimacy as well as definition to the proceedings. Plus, I didn't notice the audience once. Insofar as the actual sound is concerned, it's fine, if a trifle soft around the edges and somewhat limited in dimensionality.