The Middle East and its Thousand and One Nights (published in France in 1717) became a fantasy of French opera, and Rameau wrote on this...

The Middle East and its Thousand and One Nights (published in France in 1717) became a fantasy of French opera, and Rameau wrote on this theme for three decades. Far from merely shifting the action to the mysterious lands of “Persia” with its cruel yet salacious customs, the composer amplified the personalities of its characters and made their music sparkle more than ever. The Suites taken from Rameau’s greatest masterpieces, from Indes Galantes to Boréades, are reproduced with great energy by the two virtuoso harpsichords of Clément Geoffroy and Loris Barrucand. The century of Louis XV dances to the rhythm of the tambourins, sizzling irresistibly with “savagery", flowers, pleasures and infernal spirits.