Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet - Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Mass & Te Deum for Eight Voices (2006)

This disc couples two magnificent sacred choral works by Marc-Antoine Charpentier: his lavish Messe and his spectacular Te Deum. Both works were commissioned by the composer's patrons, the then-ascendant Jesuits of Paris, and they are less deeply religious works than grandly ceremonial works of unexcelled splendor, qualities that Hervé Niquet, director of Le Concert Spirituel, embraces in this 2006 release. Recorded in stupendous sound by Glossa, Niquet leads Le Concert Spirituel in performances of immense pomp and enormous circumstances. A seasoned veteran of many labels who has recorded much of Charpentier's sacred music before -- along with lots of Lully, a fair amount of Boismortier, some Desmarets, and even a bit of Campra -- Niquet is a master at the aesthetics of the sacred music of the French Baroque and he knows when to stress the austere and when to surrender to the ceremonial. With his superbly trained and deeply dedicated chorus and orchestra of Le Concert Spirituel, Niquet creates performances that awe and astound. While this may or may not be an actual spiritual experience, it is an amazing musical experience.