The professional career of French haute-contre (high tenor) Pierre de Jéylotte corresponded almost exactly with Rameau's years of operatic success. His first significant role, in fact, was in the premiere of Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie in 1733, the composer's first operatic triumph. In this album, haute-contre
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt pays homage to Jéylotte with excerpts from Rameau operas and opera-ballets in which Jéylotte performed. The works recorded here demonstrate Rameau's range as a dramatic composer of music appropriate to comic, tragic, and heroic situations.
Fouchécourt's voice is not a consistently elegant or timbrally beautiful instrument. He is, however, a compelling singing actor, and he brings these characters to life with his committed and dramatically urgent performances. (Judging from his performance on the DVD of De Nederlandse Opera's L'incoronazione di Poppea, in which he plays Arnalta, he has a riveting and, in that opera, hilarious, stage presence.) Like
Peter Pears, the artistry and drama he brings his roles can make it possible to overlook his less than sumptuous vocal quality, although
Fouchécourt's voice has more body and color than
Pears'. The glimpse he offers into this neglected repertoire leaves the listener eager to hear more Rameau operas. Opera Lafayette is an American ensemble founded by Ryan Brown and dedicated to the performance of Classical era opera that hasn't found its way into the repertoire. The orchestra does not use period instruments, but Brown leads them in performances of delicacy and attention to subtleties of idiomatic ornamentation. The balance is good, and the sound is bright and lively.