André Campra: Messe de Requiem & Les Maîtres de Notre-Dame de Paris
Sébastien Daucé, Ensemble Correspondances
HMM902679
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The introit unfolds with a similar ‘air of etherial mystery’ that Nicholas Anderson once admired in John Eliot Gardiner’s account (10/1980). If I leave this piece long enough I forget how tuneful it is, but fortunately Daucé does not, he opts for a rich, mellifluous quality not unlike Emmanuelle Haïm's recent live album (03/24) but overall lighter in phrasing. Notably, Daucé also maintains a stronger forwards thrust across the opening movements. I think here it’s important to name-check at least two of the soloists (they’re all brilliant) but Randol Rodriguez in Te decet hymnus Deus and Lucile Richardot in the Kyrie set an extremely hight bar. Richardot in particular has an enviable evenness of tone throughout her range that enables her to maintain absolute clarity even in the most gentle of passages.
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As the renovation of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris proceeds, Thomas Leconte's programme essay explains this program as one of works by Maîtres of the Notre Dame school in the Grand Siècle. One particularly good find is the six voice mass by François Cosset (c.1610-after 1664), which was later part-orchestrated by Sébastien de Brossard and recently completed by Daucé himself. Listen out for stylish ornamentation in the Christe section, the plainsong incipit to the Gloria accompanied by serpent, and rich instrumental playing in the Agnus Dei. Never one to miss a detail, in the Ave verum corpus by Jean Veillot (ca1600-1662) there’s an English cadence on 'De Maria Virgine' performed with a raised eyebrow, and heartfelt, lusty cries of 'placatus' in Christe redemptor omnium which will grab your attention.
This is a superb recording from one of today's best ensembles to specialise in French Baroque music.
To read the full text of this review please visit Gramophone Awards Issue, October 2024
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