Rameau Harpsichord Raritan
But the fact is for many Rameau is the opposite of natural, clear and charming. He embodies the strangeness of the French mid-18th century aristocratic culture that nurtured him. For exotic extravagance and studied formality this has probably never been equalled. Rameau’s melodies can seem like a room at Versailles, so encrusted with ornamental curlicues and flourishes that you lose sight of what’s underneath. And as for the operas, they’re even more outlandish in their plots than Handel’s.
Jean Philippe Rameau Les Indes Galantes
How can anyone take seriously a drama about the brotherly love between Castor and Pollux, who are rewarded by being turned into constellations?