Rameau: Zoroastre;

Rameau: Zoroastre / Christie, Les Arts Florissants. Composer: Jean-Philippe Rameau, Performer: Anna Maria Panzarella, Gaëlle Mechaly, Matthieu Lécroart, Mark Padmore, Conductor: William Christie, Orchestra/Ensemble: Les Arts Florissants, Strange work-strange even for Rameau, who within the strictures of the French Baroque tends to surprise more often than any of his contemporaries. Premiered in 1749 and met with a less than warm reception, Zoroastre was thoroughly revised by the composer and re-presented in 1756. The second version is the one recorded here. The plot concerns the good philosopher (Zoroastre) and the evil sorcerer Abramane and their battle for the hand of Amélite, the heiress to the Bactrian throne. The Princess Erenice also loves Zoroastre, but his lack of interest in her sends her to Abramane's side. In the original, the love interests were a minor thread-the librettist and Rameau may have been more interested in either Zoroastrianism or Freemasonry, the battles between good and evil, or conflicts between light and dark. Those philosophical issues remain in the libretto, but Erenice's nastiness and berserk jealousy, Abramane's snideness and attempts to keep Erenice in check, and the love between Amélite and Zoroastre are what keep us interested, textually speaking.