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ATMA CLASSIQUE !
Marc-Antoine Charpentier was around 27 years of age when he composed his Messe à quatre choeurs H.4 (for 16 voices). This was perhaps sung as part of the ceremonies organized by the Theatins, starting on August 13, 1672, for the canonization of their founder, Gaetano of Thiene. Alternatively, it may have been sung for the feast of St. Francis Xavier, celebrated at the Jesuit novitiate on December 6 of the same year. Although he set the entire text of the mass to music, Charpentier indicated places where the organist should improvise passages, in order that - if we can believe the annotations in the author's manuscript - the singers would have time to twice change their positions with respect to the altar during the Kyrie, the second time to return to their initial positions. Aiming for the best sonority possible in the space, this work not only uses the opposition and the massive grouping of the choirs; it also exploits all the possible combinations of the four voices of each choir, such as when the four sopranos begin the Gloria by personifying the angels. The strings, in some places, double the voices - “the entire Kyrie with violins” or “Gloria in Excelsis without violins.” Seeking to best render the sense of the text, the composer sustains our interest by contrasting the monumental force obtained through homophony with the intimacy of the sections given to soloists. According to Catherine Cessac, Charpentier “appeared as a fantastic architect who possessed in the highest degree the sense of balance and proportion,” but yet “this architectural aspect never stifled expression.” …
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RÉJEAN POIRIER - ORGUE | ORGAN SARAH BARNES - 1st DESSUS | SOPRANO 1 MARIE MAGISTRY - 2nd DESSUS | SOPRANO 2 CHARLES DANIELS - HAUTE-CONTRE | HIGH TENOR MICHIEL SCHREY - TAILLE | TENOR MARTIN AUCLAIR - BASSE-TAILLE | BARITONE STRADIVARIA, DANIEL CUILLER - ENSEMBLE INVITÉ | GUEST ENSEMBLE |
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1. GRAND MOTET SUR LE PSAUME 70 10:01 In te Domine speravi H. 228 pour dessus, haute-contre, taille, basse-taille, chœur à 5 voix, cordes [avec flûtes et hautbois en simphonie] et basse continue (Paris, 1699) 2. GRAND MOTET SUR LE PSAUME 26 11:03 Dominus illuminatio mea H. 229 pour 2 dessus, haute-contre, taille, basse-taille, chœur à 5 voix, cordes [avec flûtes et hautbois en simphonie] et basse continue (Paris, 1699) 3. GRAND MOTET SUR LE PSAUME 15 9:25 Conserva me Domine H. 230 pour dessus, haute-contre, taille, basse-taille, chœur à 5 voix, cordes [avec flûtes et hautbois en simphonie] et basse continue (Paris, 1699) MESSE À QUATRE CHŒURS 31:17 [avec cordes colla parte] et basse continue H. 4 (Paris, v.1672) 4. Kyrie* 8:41 5. Gloria 6:08 6. Credo* 10:23 7. Sanctus* 3:05 8. Agnus Dei* 3:00 * Les versets d'orgue ont été improvisés par Réjean Poirier. The organ verses were improvised by Réjean Poirier. |
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