The requiem mass of Jean Gilles got off to a slow start; the work's commissioners, members of the Toulouse city council, refused payment, and Gilles angrily said that the work's first user would be he himself. This prediction proved grimly accurate as Gilles died at the age of 37 in 1705. Its reputation ascended rapidly, however, with performances over much of the 18th century at the Concerts Spirituels in Paris, and the Messe des Morts was performed at the funerals of no less than Rameau (in 1764, with nearly 200 musicians) and King Louis XV, in 1774. After that it went unheard until 1958, and Gilles' original version (the Rameau and Louis extravaganzas used a recasting of the work by Corrette, adding numerous winds, brasses, and drums) received its first performance in this 1981 recording by Belgian historical-instrument specialist
Philippe Herreweghe and his
Collegium Vocale Ghent, with an assist from the
Musica Antiqua Köln under
Reinhard Goebel. That makes the recording an interesting meeting of the minds on the part of a pair of the early giants of the historical-performance movement in the modern era. But what's more important is that the music, stripped down to its essence, is absolutely gorgeous. The music is in a mixture of French and Italian styles, with the soberness of Lully and the oratorio-based dramatic style of Campra both in evidence. There are stately choruses and a measure of counterpoint, but the music's hallmark is an outpouring of warm melody sung by solo voices. It's almost a
Brahms requiem for the Baroque era. In the 14-minute opening Introitus, all the elements of the music are present. The conclusion is an extraordinary instrumental evocation of carillon bells by Corrette. The original recording should have added this work to the repertories of many choirs, but it was perhaps released too soon to do so. Maybe this excellent reissue from the budget label Brilliant will do the job. The 1981 sound is subpar, perhaps due to the transfer to CD, but the literate booklet notes by Michael Stegemann (in English only) are a delight to read.