Sunday, June 26, 2011

Live Recordings of Musica Franca playing Rameau

I have recordings of my performances that date back to the very beginning of my career, reel-to-reel recordings of my first Mozart concerto etc etc, but don't worry, I won't make you listen to all of them!  Sometimes, though, I find in my files a live recording of music that is very nice and that never went to commercial disc.  I found one of these tonight...

Musica Franca was the early music branch of the Caliban Quartet and we released recordings of the complete works of Michel Corrette plus a collection of Joseph Bodin de Boismortier using bassoon quartet plus other fabulous continuo instruments including lute, organ & harpsichord.

Anyway, at my coaxing, Fraser Jackson produced a beautiful arrangement of a suite from Rameau's exquisitely campy and politically incorrect opera, Les Indes Galantes.  We only had two performances of this work and one of those was outside in a garden beside a highway, so I love hearing this slightly rough concert recording again.

Les Indes Galantes Suite played by Musica Franca live in concert Montreal (2006)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing, the Caliban Quartet is so inspirational, and the best bassoon ensemble to date!

Nadiva said...

Thank you! We lived through a lot of musical and personal growth together and now have not performed since the Caliban Does Christmas album was released. Finding this forgotten recording has renewed my urge to get the Rameau Opera disc off the ground someday...