Rameau: Une symphonie imaginaire cover

Rameau: Une symphonie imaginaire

Released

This is an odd but wonderful recording. As the title suggests, it consists of an “imaginary symphony” created by conductor Marc Minkowski out of selections from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s various celebrated works for the stage. It opens with the overture from the opera Zaïs and then proceeds to bring together pieces of incidental music from many others, including Castor et Pollux, Les Boréades, Dardanus, and Hippolyte & Aricie. Inevitably, the result feels a bit disjointed – but it’s still tremendously enjoyable, especially as performed by Minkowski’s outstanding Musiciens du Louvre.

Rick Anderson

Recommended by

Suggestions
Expressionist Music cover

Expressionist Music

Christopher Glynn, Claire Booth
Richard Strauss: Elektra cover

Richard Strauss: Elektra

Evelyn Herlitzius, Christian Thielemann
Gloria Dresdensis cover

Gloria Dresdensis

Dresdner Barockorchester, Hans-Christoph Rademann
Salvatore Sciarrino: Luci mie traditrici cover

Salvatore Sciarrino: Luci mie traditrici

Ensemble Algoritmo, Marco Angius
Eleventh Hour cover

Eleventh Hour

William Winant, Uwe Dierkson, Fred Frith, Arditti Quartet
Trollfågeln cover

Trollfågeln

Emilia Amper
Del Cinque: Sonatas for Three Cellos cover

Del Cinque: Sonatas for Three Cellos

Teodoro Baù, Cristina Vidoni, Ludovico Minasi
Matthew Locke: The Flat Consort cover

Matthew Locke: The Flat Consort

Silas Wollston, David Miller, Fretwork
Nuits cover

Nuits

Véronique Gens, I Giardini
Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloé (Live) cover

Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloé (Live)

Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth