Classical Music: Dancing Queen Rameau Meets Abba

Dancing Queen Rameau Meets Abba

Songs by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!; Voulez-Vous; Mamma Mia; Thank You For The Music; Take A Chance On Me; Dancing Queen; Lay All Your Love On Me; SOS; Waterloo; Money, Money, Money.

Rameau: Les Boreades, RCT 31: Contredanse en rondeau; Nais, RCT 49: Ouverture; Pieces de clavecin en concerts, Cinquieme Concert, RCT 11: II. La Cupis; Les Indes Galantes, RCT 44: Deuxieme Entrée; Les Indes Galantes, RCT 44: Premier et deuxieme Tambourin; Hippolyte et Aricie, RCT 43: Chantons sur la musette; Hippolyte et Aricie, RCT 43: Rossignols amoureux; Hippolyte et Aricie, RCT 43: Chaconne; Suite in D Major, RCT 3: I. Les tendres plaints; Hippolyte et Aricie, RCT 43: Premiere et deuxieme Gavotte; Les Boreades, RCT 31: Entree de Polymnie; Les Indes Galantes, RCT 44: Les Sauvages – Rondeau.
All arranged for Baroque Ensemble & Saxophone by Bo Wiget

Lautten Compagney Berlin
Asya Fateyeva, saxophone
Wolfgang Katschner, lute / artistic direction

Deutsche HM G010005254180X
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/labels/431--deutsche-hm

When this disc landed, I glanced at it and thought, "Really?" Intrigued, I put it on and instantly succumbed to its allure. It is certainly creative, entertaining, and captivating, and it truly works, I assure you.

There is also a fascinating booklet with excellent notes, written by Stefan Schickhaus, who presents a compelling case for the disc. ‘One could go out on a limb and look for parallels—and with an equal dose of will and imagination certainly find them. One could justify why the music of Jean-Philippe Rameau and that of ABBA are a perfect match. One could even go further and say that both the French Baroque master and the Swedish pop icons were superstars of their time. Rameau wrote music that invited people to dance.’

The early music ensemble Lautten Compagney Berlin, along with saxophonist Asya Fatayeya, are incredibly convincing. The disc has charisma, the musicians are brilliant, and Deutsche Harmonia Mundi has perfectly judged the balance.

All the chosen songs are well-known and the spirit of each is sensitively and expressively captured without losing any of the originality although there has been some artistic creativity in tempi. At times they have an exotic feel through excellent instrumentation string quartet, double bass, two oboes, recorder, percussion, triple harp, harpsichord/organ, chitarrone, Baroque guitar and archlute.

Thank you for the music is a lovely track, and the opening of Take a Chance on Me is charming too. Bo Wiget has cleverly put together these ingenious arrangements and, in doing so, has understood how to fuse the original Abba with the wonderful tone of Fateyeva’s glorious saxophone; the textures work. The crossover of genres is successful.

Dances from Rameau's Les Boréades, Nais, Les Indes Galantes, Hippolyte et Aricie, Les Fêtes d'Hébé, and Pièces de clavecin: Cinquième Concert.
in concerts are interspersed among the Abba tracks.

If you're as curious as I was, consider giving it a try. It's easy and engaging to listen to, but it might not appeal to everyone.

Have fun and get out the dancing shoes.