Rameau - La naissance d'Osiris (Suite for Orchestra)

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) La naissance d'Osiris (Suite for Orchestra) Composed in 1754; premiered in 1754 in Fontainebleau, France Performed by Capella Savaria, conducted by Mary Térey-Smith (1933-2014) Recorded March 1995 at the Knight Hall of Kőszeg Castle, Kőszeg, Hungary 0:00 I. Overture 6:05 II. Musette 7:24 III. Premiere et deuxieme gavotte 9:55 IV. Rondeau gracieux 11:18 V. Air de musette 12:54 VI. Premier et deuxieme tambourin 15:28 VII. Air gracieux 17:45 VIII. Musette tendre 19:30 IX. Marche gaye 20:30 X. Premiere et deuxieme gavotte 23:06 XI. Air majesteux et gracieux 25:37 XII. Air vig 27:44 XIII. Contredanse Jean-Philippe Rameau’s La naissance d'Osiris was composed as a one-act ballet with a libretto by Louis de Cahusac (1706-1759). Musicologists believe the piece was adapted from Les beaux jours de l'Amour, an unfinished multi-act opéra-ballet project the pair had worked on a few years prior. Prompted by the arrival of a new royal heir, Rameau repurposed the material into an allegorical celebration for the birth of the Duc de Berry, the future King Louis XVI (1754-1793). The work premiered before the French royal court at Fontainebleau on October 12, 1754, featuring Egyptian-inspired stage sets and pastoral dances praising the newborn prince under the guise of the god Osiris. Because the piece was so closely bound to this dynastic occasion, it was performed only twice that season and never revived during the 18th century, though Rameau reused several of its dances in his later stage works. Today, the instrumental suite stands as a showcase of Rameau’s late Rococo style.