CD1
1. Jephté, opera: Prologue. Overture
2. Jephté, opera: Prologue. Scene 1. Beaux lieux
3. Jephté, opera: Prologue. Scene 2. Riez sans cesse
4. Jephté, opera: Prologue. Scene 2. Dans ces beaux lieux
5. Jephté, opera: Prologue. Scene 2. De quels nouveaux concerts
6. Jephté, opera: Prologue. Scene 3. Fantômes seduisans
7. Jephté, opera: Prologue. Scene 4. Troupe immortelle, comme moy
8. Jephté, opera: Act 1. Scene 1. Sacré Séjour
9. Jephté, opera: Act 1. Scene 2. On vient, j'apperçoios le Grand Prêtre...Scene 3
10. Jephté, opera: Act 1. Scene 4. La Terre, l'Enfer, le Ciel même...Mais la Sainte Trompette sonne
11. Jephté, opera: Act 1. Scene 5. Bannissez l'effroi
12. Jephté, opera: Act 1. Scene 5. Airs des Guerriers
13. Jephté, opera: Act 1. Scene 5. Un doux espoir...Viens, repands le trouble et l'Effroy...Scene 6
14. Jephté, opera: Act 1. Scene 7. Qu'ay je entendu?...Dieu d'Israël, Dieu que j'adore
15. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 1. Seigneur, tous les moments
16. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 2. Je vois Ammon
17. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 3. Mes yeux, éteignez dans vos larmes
18. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 4. A-peine, de ses voiles sombres
19. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 5. Je vois Abdon
20. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 6. O jour heureux
21. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 6. Notre crainte est bannie
22. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 6. Air
23. Jephté, opera: Act 2. Scene 6. Tout rit à nos voux

CD2
1. Jephté, opera: Act 3. Scene 1. Allez, retirez-vous...Scene 2
2. Jephté, opera: Act 3. Scene 3. Quel trouble me saisit
3. Jephté, opera: Act 3. Scene 4. Redoutable Dieu des vangeances
4. Jephté, opera: Act 3. Scene 5. Peuples, que le Ciel a fait naître
5. Jephté, opera: Act 3. Scene 5. Pour le vainqueur
6. Jephté, opera: Act 3. Scene 5. Que nos chants
7. Jephté, opera: Act 3. Scene 5. Jephté, si tu veux qu'on te craigne...Scene 6
8. Jephté, opera: Act 4. Scene 1. Ruisseaux qui serpentez
9. Jephté, opera: Act 4. Scene 2. Les Habitans de ces belles retraites
10. Jephté, opera: Act 4. Scene 3. Nous vivons dans l'innocence...Que tout brille en ce bocage
11. Jephté, opera: Act 4. Scene 3. J'aime à voir...Que le ciel
12. Jephté, opera: Act 4. Scene 4. Finissez vos chants d'allegresse
13. Jephté, opera: Act 4. Scene 5. Dieu redoutable, éxauce-nous
14. Jephté, opera: Act 4. Scene 6. Malheureux un cour
15. Jephté, opera: Act 4. Scene 7. Le secours est tout prêt...Scene 8. Je frémis du danger
16. Jephté, opera: Act 5. Scene 1. Ou vay je? Ou s'egarent mes pas?...Calme le juste effroy...Scene 2
17. Jephté, opera: Act 5. Scene 3. Seigneur, un tendre Pere
18. Jephté, opera: Act 5. Scene 4. Non, cessez de me retenir...Mes cris s'elevent jusqu'à toy
19. Jephté, opera: Act 5. Scene 4. Quel bruit affreux!...Scene 5. Que rien n'arreste nôtre rage
20. Jephté, opera: Act 5. Scene 6. Favorable et terrible jour
21. Jephté, opera: Act 5. Scene 6. Quel funeste appareil!
22. Jephté, opera: Act 5. Scene 6. Du plus beau

Claire Brua, Sylvie Colas, Sophie Daneman, Anne Pichard, Maray Saint-Palais – soprano
Patrick Foucher, Bernhard Loonen, Mark Padmore – tenor
Jacques Bona – bass baritone
Nicolas Rivenq - bass

Les Arts Florissants
William Christie – conductor

Jephté (Jephtha) is an opera by the French composer Michel Pignolet de Montéclair. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts (because of its subject matter it was also styled a tragédie biblique). The libretto, by the Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, is based on the Biblical story of Jephtha. The oratorio a was first performed at the Académie royale de musique, Paris on 28 February 1732. It was the first opera in France using a story from the Bible to appear on a public stage. For this reason, Cardinal de Noailles banned performances of the work for a time. Montéclair made revisions for revivals of the work in March 1732 and April 1737. ---wikipedia

French Baroque operas on religious subjects are something of a rarity, a situation which the librettist of Michel Pignolet de Montéclair’s Jephté chose to commemorate in a long apologia. No one need worry: the classical gods may be chased away in the prologue, but the remaining five acts are far from bleakly biblical. In fact, Jephté, in this lively and sympathetic performance by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants turns out to be one of the most attractive tragédies lyriques between Charpentier and Rameau. There is ceremonial aplenty and the senses are chastely ravished by a magnificent, pastoral fourth act as Iphise muses on her fate by the banks of the Jordan. The one disappointment is that the Deus (normally ex machina) is Jehovah himself; he therefore remains in the mind, which leads to a rather lame denouement, though Montéclair does reveal a brisk sense of pace and a genuine feel for the drama. As a whole, the performance is highly enjoyable, with alert performances from choir, orchestra and continuo. An exception is some distressingly queasy intonation at the start of Act IV. Not all of the solo singing is ideal: Claire Brua is an overly matronly Venus in the prologue, although she improves as Almasie, the wife of Jephté, in the main drama. Jacques Bona, as Jephté himself, is magnificent and does much to ensure the success of the set. ---Jan Smaczny, classical-music.com

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1. La Mort de Didon - 6e Cantate, Livre I)
2. Il Dispetto in Amore - 7e Cantate, Livre II
3. Le Triomphe de l'Amour - 3e Cantate, Livre II
4. Morte di Lucretia - 9e Cantate, Livre III
5. Pyrame et Thisbé - 6e Cantate, Livre II

Les Arts Florissants
William Christie – conductor

The French cantata had a brief, but vibrant life during the first three decades of the 18th century. Beginning with Morin's first book in 1706, there followed dozens of books of cantatas by a number of French composers. Clerambault, Boismortier, Rameau and Monteclair all published cantatas during this period. Monteclair may by relatively unknown, but he was a composer of undoubted talent if judged by the works on this recording.

La Mort de Didon is fantastic. It opens with a piercing sinfonia which sets the desperate mood of a bereft Dido, and moves to a turbulent aria that expresses her rage, and ends with an achingly beautiful air full of pathos and despair. Agnes Mellon is up to her usual very high standard and sings gloriously.

Il Dispetto in Amore is more Italianate (hence the language) and talks of the vexation of love. Gerard Lesne is excellent here, especially in the second aria which he sings with tremendous delicacy.

Le Triomphe de L'Amour is much more light-hearted, and features Jean-Paul Fouchecourt, one of the best haute-contre voices ever.

Morte di Lucretia is a very vivid and engaging telling of the story of Lucretia who commited suicide to preserve her honour after being violated by Tarquin. Monique Zanetti has an edge to her voice that is well-suited to portraying the rage and indignation of Lucretia.

Pyrame et Thisbe is a much larger scale work which includes a narrator along with the two doomed lovers. The story of Pyame and Tisbe is pathetic to the point of comedy, but the music they are given to sing is superb, especially the stunning duet "Que d'alarmes" which is very moving, and exquisately sung by Fouchecourt and Zanetti.

If you like the French baroque, do yourself a favor and try to buy this recording. It is a high point in the art of the cantata, and in the musicianship of William Christie and his colleagues. ---scott, amazon.com

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