Hervé Niquet - Charpentier: Missa assumpta est Maria (2009)

Hervé Niquet returns to the sacred music of the French Baroque in the grand manner: the ceremonial masterpiece of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s concertante Missa Assumpta est Maria, written for solo and choral voices with orchestral accompaniment, a clear reflection of the composer’s mature style, written in the last decade of his life. Maturity definitely comes through also in Niquet’s interpretation (and this is his fifth recording of music by Charpentier for Glossa alone): a sureness of touch in this repertoire is underpinned by a painstaking scrutiny of the sources, allowing the French conductor to make some original choices for the interpolations within the Mass Ordinary sections - instrumental and vocal in symphonies and motets. Zest, vigour and lightness of touch remain potent elements of Niquet’s approach for the music of this most spectacular of French composers.

This sense of understanding for the style which will also be applied shortly for the little-known five-voice Requiem of Charpentier’s contemporary, Pierre Bouteiller - but which Niquet describes as “a diamond, an incredible jewel of our culture.” Niquet’s indefatigable approach to the music of the French Baroque and Classical eras extends currently also to the operatic world. After the success of his revival of the 300 year-old opera Sémélé by Marin Marais (one of the top-three nominations in the “First Recording” category of this year’s MIDEM Classical Awards), he and Le Concert Spirituel turn next to André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry ...