Feature

Brenda Rae on rocking out to Rameau

by Brenda Rae on 29 September, 2017

Ahead of her Australian debut, the American soprano explains how she’s been getting to know Jean-Philippe.

This is actually my first time singing French Baroque. It’s because of the conductor Benjamin Bayl that we’ve decided to do this whole programme. He’s passionate about the music and I love learning new styles.

Glories of the French Baroque will focus on the music of Jean-Philippe Rameau. He wrote so much over a long period of time, so it’s fascinating to see how his style changed. Early pieces seem straightforward, but then you get to the later work and you hear he’s matured. It’s a little more ‘original’, but you can always tell it’s Rameau. He was finding his own style and putting his stamp on the music, and the more you know, the more you can experiment. He wrote dances as well, which are great fun to listen to! Sometimes I just put some on a playlist and dance around the kitchen: “Rameau has a really good beat!”

^{Soprano Brenda Rae. Photo © Kristin Hoebermann}