Thirteen orchestral excerpts are drawn from the 1739 Opéra-ballet, Les Fêtes d'Hébé, 16 from Acante et Céphise, a 1751 Pastorale héroïque, in each case consisting of the usual opening Overture, followed by a variety of dances and set pieces. No matter whether the tempo is invigoratingly rapid or pastoral in flavor, everything is strikingly colorful and varied in scoring (not least the wonderful drone of the bagpipe for various musettes).

Listeners familiar with such earlier keyboard pieces as Rameau's Musette tendre, Air tendre, and, especially the rapid-fire E-minor Tambourin, with its piquant drum accompaniment, will find this disc of the composer's later orchestrations a special pleasure.

Should you need further encouraging and at the same time desire to have an extraordinary demonstration disc with which to startle and delight guests, try playing the beginning of the CD, the Overture to Acante et Céphise, and wait for the resounding drum thwacks that represents a fireworks display and which ends with a real cannon shot, all marking the celebration of the Duke of Burgundy's birth. For me, this is a definite record of the year!
IGOR KIPNIS

JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU
Frans Brüggen
Orchestra of the 18th Century
Glossa GCD 921103
1996 - 66:38 min.