Rameau et Mondeville - Les Grands Motets

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) and Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville (1711-1772)

Les Grands Motets

An undisputed specialist in the French grand motet, William Christie juxtaposes two complementary visions of this repertoire: Rameau's, scholarly and architecturally structured, and Mondonville's, flamboyant and spectacular. The grand motets of Jean-Philippe Rameau and Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville hold a central place in the history of 18th-century French sacred music. Intended for the Chapelle Royale and the kingdom's major religious institutions, these monumental works embody the unique alliance of pomp, spirituality, the sublime, and theatricality characteristic of the French tradition. In Rameau, the grand motet reveals writing of exceptional audacity, where the science of harmony, orchestral richness, and vocal expressiveness already foreshadow the dramatic genius of the opera composer. Mondonville, for his part, elevates the genre to an unprecedented degree of virtuosity and expressive tension, imbuing sacred music with an energy and luminosity that deeply captivated his contemporaries. Through these two contrasting and complementary visions, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants propose to showcase the full excellence and singularity of a musical heritage at its peak in this concert.