Les Ambassadeurs revive Rameau’s Achante et Céphise with inimitable style

So many forgotten Rameau operas have been brought back to life that it is difficult to believe there could be any left. Achante et Céphise, written to celebrate the birth of Louis XV’s grandson in 1751, is only now getting its first recording — and it is a gem.

From the first notes, the Overture lets rip with roaring horns, madly trilling woodwind and explosive drums in a blazing pictorial fireworks display. Surely this music cannot have been composed over 250 years ago? There are pieces hot off the press that sound less novel.

The reason why the opera has remained unperformed for so long is not hard to find. Even by the standards of Baroque opera the story is a load of nonsense, tangling up a simple love triangle with an evil genie, a guardian fairy and a magic talisman which allows two lovers to feel each other’s emotions when they are separated.

On all this, Rameau lavished a score of unflagging invention. There are sparkling dances, no two the same, and ear-catching orchestral effects, proving that it is not the size of the Baroque orchestra that matters, but what you do with it.

Two of the finest younger French singers, Sabine Devieilhe and Cyrille Dubois, bring lightness, grace and plenty of character to the roles of the young lovers, and David Witczak sings well as the magician Oroès. Here is a lost opera revived by conductor Alexis Kossenko and Les Ambassadeurs with inimitable style.

★★★★★

‘Rameau: Achante et Céphise’ is released by Erato