Suite from Zoroastre
Ouverture
Menuets 1 & 2
Hymne au soleil
Tambourin en rondeau
Sommeil
Air en rondeau (Chaconne)
Ariette gracieuse
Symphonie
Program Notes by Martin Pearlman
Although Rameau did not compose an opera until he was 50 years old, the sensation caused by that debut and the string of operas that followed established him as one of the greatest opera composers of the Baroque. Campra's famous comment following the premiere of Rameau's first opera, that "there is enough music in it to make ten operas," refers to the consistently high quality of the music and its richness of detail. Rameau is also one of the earliest composers to be counted among the great orchestrators, with constant attention to the possibilities of instrumental color.
Zoroastre, one of the less often heard operas of Rameau, was not a success at its premiere in 1749, but the composer extensively reworked three of its five acts and remounted it in 1756 to great acclaim. In its revised form, it contains wonderful music and makes a dramatic entertainment out of what is otherwise a weak libretto.
The story concerns the sixth-century Persian priest Zoroaster, elsewhere known as Zarathustra. Mixed with ancient Egyptian symbolism he becomes Sarastro in Mozart's The Magic Flute, and as in the Mozart opera, Zoroastre deals with the conflict between light and darkness, good and evil. The overture which begins this suite, replaced the usual allegorical prologue in the opera and instead -- for the first time in French opera -- depicted in advance the characters and events of the story. According to Rameau's own description, the first section of the overture represents the cruel power of Zoroastre's evil enemy Abramane and the suffering of the oppressed populace, but it ends on a note of hope. The second part shows the goodness of Zoroastre's power and the third depicts the joy of the people whom Zoroastre has delivered from oppression.
In the Hymne au soleil (Hymn to the sun), Zoroastre prays to the sun as a source of light and enlightenment. It is an image that is familiar from mystical hermetic traditions and that was adapted for masonry, as well as for the sun-king imagery of the French monarchy. In the Sommeil, Zoroastre and his lover Amélite welcome the day of their wedding. The last three movements of the suite -- the Air en rondeau, Amélite's ariette and the Symphonie -- are all part of the celebration which follows Zoroastre's victory over the forces of darkness at the end of the opera. Boston Baroque produced the American premiere of the full opera in 1983.
Boston Baroque Performances
Suite from Zoroastre
March 13, 1999
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
Soloists:
Jayne West, soprano
Frank Kelley, tenor