I have attempted as well as I could to mix the delicacy of French music with the vivacity of Italian music,' wrote composer Andre Campra in the Preface to his first book of cantatas. The clear-sightedness of the composer from Aix-en-Provence is amply borne out in this admirable synthesis of styles, freed from the constraint of the Lullian yoke. First released in 1982, this classic recording features William Christie and his superb ensemble Les Arts Florissants.