Various composers: 200 Years of the Music of Versailles: A Journey to the Heart of French Baroque

This magnificent set of twenty discs of French Baroque and Classical music celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the creation of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles. The CMBV’s activities have unearthed and made available many masterpieces written between 1600 and 1800, and this box bears witness to that splendid achievement. All the discs were recorded at the Palace of Versailles, in venues ranging from the Royal Chapel to the Manège of the Grand Stables. Approximately two-thirds of the contents comprises brand new recordings taped live during the 2007 anniversary season, the remaining third consisting of recordings made at Versailles during the past twenty years and licensed from such labels as K617, Glossa and Universal.

The set brings together three generations of musical interpreters: the pioneers (William Christie, Jean-Claude Malgoire et al) and their disciples (including Christophe Rousset, Hervé Niquet, Philippe Pierlot and Christophe Coin), and also the new generation, such as Louis Castelain and Patrick Cohën-Akenine. This mix of artists is one of the box’s glories: successive performances, usually by entirely different personnel, are all imbued with the unique French style of performance. Generally the standard is extremely high, whether the soloist is, say, the well-known Véronique Gens or a new name such as Virginie Pochon.

The discs lead the listener on a chronological tour of French music, from airs de cour and lute pieces possibly performed for Louis XIII, through the operas, symphonies and motets by, for example, Lully and Charpentier which were part of the rich tapestry of life at the court of Louis XIV. Louis XV’s reign witnessed divertissements by Rebel, wonderful sacred music by Mondonville and Rameau, and the French orchestral revival. The last five discs in the set cover the music of the late eighteenth century and the move towards Romanticism, with short discs devoted to French opera, the rise of the French symphony, salon music and early piano music.

I have to confess that I found these later discs of somewhat academic interest; I also found the set’s very first disc a little tedious – the same solo voice in several airs de cour by Boesset rather outstayed its welcome, despite the leavening of lute solos. These are my only reservations. A thick booklet with all the texts and translations and a brief description setting each disc in context is included in the box. I wholeheartedly recommend this sumptuous set as one of the year’s great bargains!