Arcadian Dreams (CD)

Hannah De Priest (soprano), Mark Edwards (harpsichord), Les Délices, Debra Nagy

Rameau: Le Berger Fidèle
Handel: Mi palpita il cor, HWV 132c
Albinoni: Sonata for Oboe and Continuo in C Major, Mi 4
Bourgeois: Diane et Endimion
Scarlatti, D: Keyboard Sonata K213 in D minor
Lefebvre: Le Lever de l'Aurore

Soprano Hannah De Priest makes her recording debut alongside the early music ensemble Les Délices with Arcadian Dreams, an album of baroque-era secular cantatas and scintillating instrumental works. The collection assembles an exquisite group of composers, including French luminaries Thomas-Louis Bourgeois, Louis Antoine Lefebvre, and Jean-Philippe Rameau, alongside the Italianate brilliance of Domenico Scarlatti and George Frideric Handel. This enchanting realm abounds with gods, goddesses, shepherds, and nymphs, creating an aural tapestry of bucolic dreamscapes. De Priest vividly captures the essence of these beguiling works, supported by the entrepreneurial spirit of Les Délices, who bring these long-forgotten narratives to life for contemporary audiences.