Campra & Dandrieu: Jesu amantissime - Petits motets

Campra, André, Dandrieu, Jean-François

Cohen-Akenine, Patrick, Les Folies Francoises

CYP 1665

André Campra (1660-1744) received his first musical training as a choirboy at the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral in his home town of Aix en Provence. Although Campra was ordained a priest in 1678, he still had ambitions not only for a musical career, but also a special interest in opera. Contemporary sources describe him as a rather difficult character who obviously also had alcohol problems. His spiritual superiors, however, may have mainly been struck by his inclination for musical theatre, which became more and more apparent in his sacred works. In 1691, the cathedral chapter of Saint-Etienne de Toulouse finally demanded that he first submit his works to the cathedral before any performance. Campra fled from such constraints to Paris, where church circles apparently had more liberal views on such influences. For us, his Petits Motets (solo motets) may certainly not sound too operatic any more, since these influences represent the special charm of this extremely expressive music. The present recording offers a selection of his solo motets, which impressively demonstrate why the composer was so highly esteemed by his contemporaries not only for his operas but also for his sacred music. Of course, the soloists around Patrick Cohen-Akenine and Les Folies Françaises are also adequate advocates.

CD x 1

Cypres

25.06.12

5412217016654