The Lully effect. Going to the heart of the French Baroque orchestra.

Raymond Bisha introduces a new release of music by three Baroque titans: Lully, Telemann and Rameau. The latter two were hugely influenced by the music of Lully, who was powerfully positioned as the chief musician of King Louis XIV of France. Lully left a rich legacy of dramatic music scored for orchestra. It left an indelible impression on all who heard it, with its masterly balance of grandeur and finesse. Yet, unlike the manuscripts of solo and chamber works of the time, Lully left us little clarity regarding the intricate ornamentation that would have been used spontaneously by the performers. Conductor Barthold Kuijken’s painstaking research now restores that beating heart to the music.