FRANCŒUR
Symphonies du Festin Royal de Mgr le Comte d’Artois
: in g; in D; in F
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Hugo Reyne, cond; La Simphonie de Marais (period instruments)
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VIRGIN 61676 (63:25)
In November of 1773, festivities were being organized at Versailles for the coming wedding of the Comte d’Artois—the future Charles X—to Marie Thérèse de Savoy. Papillon de La Ferté, who was responsible for supervising the festivities, noted in his diary that on November 16 there had been considerable disorder, first during the afternoon and then in the evening at the royal banquet. This might lead one to suspect that little attention had been paid to the music composed for the occasion, a “Concert français, arrange par M Francœur, surintendant de la Musique du Roy.”
Although François Francœur was then 75, had written almost nothing in two decades, and had long since resigned all other positions at court and in Paris, he still held the position of
Surintendant de la musique du Roy.
Framcœur’s career had peaked between 1726 and 1751, when his operas—composed in collaboration with François Rebel, son of Jean-Féry Rebel—were much appreciated and enjoyed in the French capital. Francœur and Rebel were appointed directors of the opera in Paris, which was increasingly controlled by the king. There, Francœur was successful in promoting Rameau’s music and even in obtaining a pension for him. Francœur continued to be a standard-bearer for French music after his retirement.
The music that Francœur composed for the wedding banquet of the Comte d’Artois was typically French in style. In addition to his own compositions, it contained music of Berton, Brassac, Mondonville, and several others. Such collections—similar in tone to the
Drottningholmsmusik
of Johan Helmich Roman—were not uncommon at formal banquets and also belong to the Versailles tradition of
musique de table
in (1) the choice of pieces, and (2) their arrangement into suites. The performances of
symphonies—
a term that at the time referred to instrumental music as well as the musicians performing it—was quite common while the King was dining; this was a tradition dating back to Louis XIV. Most of the music had been culled from stage works, and had been performed “every fortnight during the supper of Louis XIV and Louis XV.”
The wedding music included a series of dances, often preceded by an overture and scored for a diverse collection of instruments, including trumpets and drums as well as flutes, oboes, bassoons, horns, and strings. Although like his predecessors Francœur included music of other composers, pride of place was given to his own compositions, which is the reason that this recording is almost exclusively devoted to his music. There is a single minuet by François Rebel, linked to one of Francœur, reminding us again of the close collaboration between the two men.
Three suites have been assembled for this recording as opposed to the four in the original score, and one has been rounded out with three dances of Francœur chosen by Hugo Reyne for their key. Several of the movements recall Lully, while others bring Rameau and his
concerts français
to mind, but Francœur’s music is less scholarly and occasionally unadventurous. It does, however, possess a certain spontaneity and
joie d’vivre
typical of the 18th century.
Hugo Reyne and La Simphonie du Marais are fervent and gifted advocates for this neglected repertoire, submitting performances that evoke grace and that sparkle with the opulence and grandeur that was Versailles, and the playing gives up nothing in the way of energy and tenderness. This is another disc in the ongoing re-release program of arkivmusic.com that restores long deleted recordings to the catalog.
Michael Carter
