If you love Rameau's instrumental music, you will want this disc. It's really marvelous: a choice selection of movements from Zaïs, Castor et Pollux, Dardanus, Le Temple de la Gloire, Les Boréades, Platée, Les Indes galantes, and several other works. Marc Minkowski has assembled 17 selections in all into an "imaginary symphony", carefully balanced in terms of tempo, mood, and expressive contrast. Given his success to date with Rameau's operas, we should expect the performances to be outstanding, and so they are. The program opens with the overture from Zaïs, and beautifully sustains continuous listening. Sweetly lyrical bits, such as Air tendre pour les Muses from Le Temple de la Gloire, alternate with exciting tambourins and rigaudons, and the riveting, evocative storm (orage) from Platée. The program concludes with the imposing Chaconne from Les Indes galantes, the perfect finale to a perfect program. Recorded live, the sonics capture the musicians vividly and naturally, if perhaps with just a touch of dryness and astringency to the instrumental timbres. Simply grand! [9/9/2005]

--David Hurwitz