Rameau: Orchestral Suites from Nais & Le Temple de la Gloire

The French are fond of categorizing things. Baroque stage works had many names: "tragedie lyrique," "opera-ballet," "acte de ballet," "ballet bouffon," and many more besides. Basically, aside from length, all of these various genres consist of the same thing: a series of dances and vocal scenes arranged in such a way so as to illustrate a plot drawn from classical mythology. Rameau was the finest composer of these opera/ballet combinations, and his dance music was so successful that orchestral suites of dances taken from the larger works have always been popular, even in his own lifetime. These two sensationally played suites vividly illustrate his uniquely colorful orchestration and rhythmic verve. If you like Baroque music, you'll love this. --David Hurwitz