Saturday, 8 November 2025

Charpentier: Te Deum

Day 312

Charpentier: Te Deum

Les musicians du Louvre

Marc Minkowski

I’m not sure that I have ever heard any Charpentier (Marc-Antoine) before, though I may have heard the midnight mass at some point). As a Rameau enthusiast it is perhaps surprising that I have not investigated any of Charpentier’s operas - perhaps that will come in another project.

The opening of the Te Deum is famous/notorious as the theme music for Eurovision - particularly the song contest. Though anybody hearing this performance would be surprised at the speed that Minkowski adopts.  I have to say, though, that the piece largely passed me by without making any sort of impression = it was very much a case of in one ear out of the other. That doesn’t mean that there was anything unpleasant about the piece. It just seemed rather to be a piece of baroque painting by numbers. Everything was in its place and was effective but it just failed to make any sort of impact. Perhaps that is a little unfair - I didn’t have a score and my attention did wander from time to time.  Gustav is the Charpentier for me!

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