Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687): Armide - Ouverture and Passacaille from Act V
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Ouverture (Suite) in E minor, TWV 55:e3
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764): Suite from Dardanus

A powdered wig should be included in the package when you purchase this CD. It would put the finishing touch on a recording that sits you in the middle of a grand hall inside a 17th century French château listening to the latest trend in musical drama and tragedy, the Italian opera, brought from abroad by Italian composer Jean-Baptiste Lully when he moved to France as a music tutor to the courts. Based on Italian opera but written in the "French style", this in turn influenced other composers such as Georg Philipp Telemann and Jean-Philippe Rameau, its influence reaching as far as Johann Sebastian Bach.

Let's start with the quality of the audio recording. One manifestation of a well-engineered recording is when your speaker cabinets recede from view into the background. The sound of the period instruments practically jumps out of the speakers which lends everything a tangible "live" feel. And Barthold Kuijken's orchestral layout, based on period documents, sets the perfect balance and soundstage. And as far as the playing is concerned, the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra deploy all the sense of occasion and flamboyance the monarchy of the day would have witnessed. Even the basso continuo players get into the action and sound just as highly commited as the lead instruments. French baroque music is highly ornamented and embellished with trills and mordents which in this case are made to sound as crucial elements of the music's vitality, and when multiple instruments are involved, the precision of attack is akin to synchronized swimming. Anyone familiar with Baroque music knows that Barthold Kuijken has been an influential proponent for its accurate performance and recording since day one, and all of this is highly evident in this recording.

This is the first of a planned series of recordings by the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra for the Naxos label, and its a very impressive launch. I for one can't wait to hear the successive releases.