“The orchestra, similar in size to the conductorless Orpheus, owes as much of its clean and crisp sound to its conductor, Mathieu Lussier, as it does to the fact it is string-dominated, with a mere pair of oboes, a pair of horns, and a bassoon. Yet even the woods and brass made a fine performance in Rameau’s bouncy work, especially so in a lovely bassoon obbligato. The final section, a toe-tapping contra dance, reveled in French Baroque majesty.”

“Lussier is a classical triple threat: In addition to conducting, he is a sought-after composer and a virtuoso player of both the Baroque and the modern bassoon. Musically, he proved a worthy right-hand man to Bernard Labadie. Rameau’s Suite from his late opera Les Boréades was stamped with all the hallmarks that have made Les Violons du Roy so dominant in the French Baroque repertoire: vivid articulation, limpid phrasing and easy grace. The lilting, pastoral second movement was lovingly rendered.”

“First off, a few words about Mathieu Lussier’s command of the orchestra. His conducting was very nuanced, very musical with well marked tempi, suitably slow for the largos and andantes and suitably spritely for the allegros as well. Besides that, Lussier succeeded in bringing forth a nuanced, clear and precise performance from the orchestra.”