Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Cantate "Le Berger Fidèle"

Georg Friedrich Haendel (1685-1759)
Cantate "Mi palpita il cor"

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)
Sonate pour hautbois et continuo en do majeur

Thomas Louis Bourgeois (1676-1750)
Diane et Endimion

Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sonate en ré mineur

Louis Antoine Lefebvre (1700-1763)
Cantate "Le Lever de l'Aurore"

Ensemble Les Délices

Hannah De Priest, soprano
Shelby Yamin, violon
Kako boga, violon
Rebecca Landell, violoncelle, viole de gambe
Mark Edwards, clavecin
Debra Nagy, hautbois baroque, direction

Arcadian Dreams: the title conjures pastoral perfection; an idyllic vision rooted in Greek mythology. Equally, it references the Arcadian Academy established in Rome in 1690, a vibrant hub of intellectual and artistic creativity whose influence quickly spread across Europe. Arcadian Dreams assembles an exquisite group of composers – both esteemed and inspired – including the French luminaries Thomas-Louis Bourgeois, Louis Antoine Lefebvre, and Jean-Philippe Rameau; the Neapolitan maestro Domenico Scarlatti, who lived his last 35 years in Spain; and the German-born George Frideric Handel, whose early Italian career left an indelible mark on his masterpieces. The enchanting realm of Arcadian Dreams abounds with gods and goddesses, shepherds and nymphs, and bucolic dreamscapes creating an aural tapestry of pictorial, secular cantatas intertwined with entrancing instrumental numbers. The fearless young soprano Hannah De Priest, making her recording debut, vividly captures the essence of these beguiling works, alongside the entrepreneurial early music ensemble Les Délices whose members bring long-forgotten music alive for contemporary audiences.