Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) left two very different versions of his tragédie en musique Zoroastre: the first, from 1749, suffered from disturbances and the work was withdrawn from the repertoire. Rameau gave it a thorough revision in 1756. At that time he was at the height of his powers. Melody, harmony, orchestration and choral writing held no secrets for him. Zoroastre brought even more innovation. For the first time he dispensed with a prologue and made the overture a philosophical 'programme', the struggle between day and night, between good and evil. The 1749 version is entirely dominated by avant-garde ideas; Zoroastre resembles Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, but two generations earlier. This alarmed part of the audience: Zoroastre was a moral, social and philosophical opera. The 1749 version has never been revived in modern times. Alexis Kossenko takes on the challenge with verve, accompanied by an excellent cast with Véronique Gens, Jodie Devos, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Mathias Vidal and Tassis Christoyannis.
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