Baroque opera fans owe a debt of gratitude to Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs of Boston Early Music Festival, America’s leading light when it comes to the rediscovery of hidden gems, particularly of the French Baroque. From stellar recordings of Lully and Charpentier, they now turn their attention to Michel-Richard Delalande (1657–1726), a less familiar composer, perhaps, but one who in his day enjoyed considerable success and, importantly for him, aristocratic patronage.

Delalande

The short pastorale Les Fontaines de Versailles came hot on the heels of a privately performed lost work in which many of the young nobles of the day took part. It was written for the royal court in 1683 and appears to have won Delalande a coveted position as one of Louis XIV’s “sous-maître de Chapelle”. It’s a sprightly affair,...