Rameau on a wind quintet? Including saxophone? Coming from the hyper-authentic folks at Germany's MDG label? It may sound unbelievable, but don't knock it until you hear it. There's an abstract quality in Rameau that seems to encourage this kind of thing; nobody does wind arrangements of Couperin. Holland's Calefax Reed Quintet, described as "a classical ensemble with a pop mentality," arranges pieces from Rameau's harpsichord Nouvelles Suites for an ensemble of oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet, and bassoon, adding counterpoint where needed in order to make the music work. That covers quite a range of tones, and the range is extended even farther in the Les Boréades suite, where arranger and saxophonist tries out the unusual piccolo saxophone. The result is a marvelous variety of wind timbres that expresses the textures of Rameau's little pictorial harpsichord pieces in wholly novel ways. The group puts together Rameau's pieces into suites different from the ones the composer intended, and they proclaim themselves unconcerned if the hearer uses the program function of a listening device to construct programs of his or her own. Only La Poule, track 18, stands apart. So dip in anywhere and sample. Try not only the quick pictorial pieces but the imposing, processional ones like Entrée de Polymnie (track 22) -- the low winds lend these quite an impressive sound. This is an interpretation of Rameau's music, or a new creative entity based upon Rameau, more than a Rameau performance, and it is less homogenous than the original music in a way that alters it fundamentally. It's also almost compulsively listenable, and this is a strong candidate for offbeat release of the year. ~ James Manheim, Rovi
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