Charpentier, Leçons de Ténèbres from Les Arts Florissants at Wigmore Hall

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Leçons de Ténèbres Les Arts Florissants ./William Christie (director / organ) with Ilja Aksionov (tenor) and Padraic Rowan (bass-baritone). Wigmoe Hall, 16.04.2025

Missa Assumpta est Maria, H 11 (?1669): Prélude. 

Troisième leçon de Ténèbres du Mercedi Saint, H 141 (? 1690) 

Premier répons après la première leçon du second nocturne du Jeudi Saint, ‘Tamquam ad latronem, H 133 (?1690) 

Second répons après la seconde leçon du second nocturne du Jeudi Saint, ‘Tenebrae factæe sunt,’H 129 (?1690) 

Orphée descendant aux enfers, H 471 (1683): Prélude 

Seconde leçon de Ténèbres du Mercredi Saint, H 138 (?1690) 

Troisième répons après la troisième leçon du Mecrredi Saint, ‘Unus ex discipulis,’ H 132 (1690) 

Troisième répons après la troisième leçon du second nocturne du Vendredi Saint, ‘Ecce quomodo,’ H 131 (?1690) 

Symphonies pour un reposoir, H 515 (?1670) 

Troisième leçon du Vendredi Saint, ‘Incipit oratio,’ H 95 (?1670) 

Second répons après la seconde leçon du premier nocturne du Mercredi Saint, ‘Tristis est anima mea,’ H 126 (?1690) 

I overheard an usher advising a patron to read the text while they can; the performance was to take place in dimmed lighting. And so it did (not quite so dark as to preclude the reading of the texts, though).  This was an atmospheric evening shot through with beauty.

The idea to begin with the Prélude to the ‘Kyrie’ from Charpentier’s Missa Assumpta est Maria was inspired; it begins with a single line, blossoming into two and on to a full instrumental texture. Heard with one to a part, it works beautifully (contrast to one of the most recent Château de Versailles releases, which features the entire Mass, there with the full-strength Ensemble Marguerite Louise. 

The Troisième Leçon de Ténèbres du Mercredi Saint, H 141 is for a solo bass and ensemble; fascinating how bass-baritone Padraic Rowan emerged from the instrumental texture to give the opening words, ‘Manum sum misit’ (The adversary hath spread out his hand). His statement of ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem convertere’ (Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return) was nicely strong, but really it was the workings Les Arts Florissants revealed that was most fascinating. 

Tenor Ilja Aksionov was less consistent, perhaps, taking time to settle in the Premier répons après la première leçon du second nocturne du Jeudi Saint, ‘Tamquam ad latronem’.  

The timing of the concert was perfect; as darkness fell outside, we were drawn ever into Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s beautiful world, on one level static, on another always moving. Different shades of dark, one might say; and the Second répons après la seconde leçon du second nocturne du Jeudi Saint ‘Tenebrae factæe sunt,’ H 129 takes us to one of the music’s darkest spaces, generally low-pitched and including the most remarkable chromaticisms and dissonances on approaches to cadences; Christie and his players made no apologies for those toe-curling scrunches (those who know Il Seminario Musicale’s recording on Erato, with Gérard Lesne might be surprised by Christie’s potency). Rowan declaimed the text beautifully. Here's the Lesne:

The vocal works were interspersed by instrumental pieces as interludes; the evening was given as one 80-minute span without interval. The first was the ‘Prélude’ to Orphée dscendent aux enfers, H 471 (1683), stunningly beautiful with sterling work from Emmanuel Resche-Caserta particularly, on violin. Here's the “Prélude,” taken from the most lovely recording of the entire piece on the Alpha label by Vox Luminis:

The viola da gamba of Hugo Abraham featured in the tenor Seconde leçon de Ténèbres du Mercredi Saint, H 138. Here, Aksionov was on far finer form (just his diction suffered a little, particularly in comparison with Rowan’s contributions). Again, though, Chapenier’s setting of a line heard earlier ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, convertere,’ was a real high point. It was the Troisième répons après la troisième leçon du Mecrredi Saint, ‘Unus ex discipulis,’ H 132, that explained the choice of soloists, Rowan and Aksionov’s voices perfectly complementary as thy entwined around each other. Declamatory and dramatic, the performance was a real high point of the evening, complemented by the dark Troisième répons après la troisième leçon du second nocturne du Vendredi Saint, ‘Ecce quomodo’. 

The Symphonies  pour un reposoir, H 515 was composed for a Fête-Dieu, or Corpus Christi, accompanying a procession in the streets of the Holy Sacrament. The second part, a ‘Pange lingua,’ was almost unbearably touching in this performance by Les Arts Florissants. Imitations were joyous at times; this was much more than an interlude. Here's.performance of this piece by Orchestra e Schola Gregoriana dell'Accademia del Santo Spirito, Andrea Banaudi, maestro del coro; Paolo Tognon, bassoon and director, recorded live, in 2007:

Penultimately, the Troisième leçon du Vendredi Saint, ‘Incipit oratio’ finding both soloists again working supremely well together, a moment of sudden drama all the more effective for its rarity. Finally, the Second répons après la seconde leçon du premier nocturne du Mercredi Saint, ‘Tristis est anma mea,’ voices conjoining beautifully with instruments. 

This was a perfect selection of Charpentier’s works, beautifully performed. The The Lesne is available at Amazon here; the Orphée here.