~ Baroque Opera ~

[Que]

I guess "A Lully opera each day, keeps the doctor away".... 

   

Another very successful recording with a good cast, even though Herreweghe's energy level is rather moderate.
I haven't heard Rousset's recent recording... yet.

Q

[Que]

I'll be trying to ressurect this thread dedicated to Baroque opera, and intend to post regularly in the coming times. My project is listening to more opera, and Baroque opera will definitely be an important part of the menu!

I spent a good bit of time yesterday and today going through this thread, reading up on old posts and fixing broken links (one of the perks of still having my former moderator authorisations).

I hope this deserving topic will pick up some attention, even though some of the former regulars of this thread are now absent. Like Drasko, who passed away and is dearly missed. His posts were very knowledgeable and informative, a testimony to his great passion for French Baroque music and opera. And new erato, who is dedicating  more time on things outside of this forum now he is retired. Hopefully he will drop by once in a while...

[Que]

Kicking off with Roland (Orlando), one of Lully's later operas:

 

A beautiful masterpiece, but an acquired taste: you'd have to enjoy the many vocal and orchestral distractions as much as the limited action in this opera. Because up to act IV this is basicly an allegory on the power and the trials and tribulations of Love. The action only really kicks in when the hero of the opera properly takes centerstage. Singing is excellent with singers like Anna-Maria Panzerella (Angélique), Monique Zanetti (Témire) and Nicolas Testé (Roland). Accompaniment under the baton of Christophe Rousset is a marvel of balance and crisp transparancy.


https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-10539/

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/jul/30/classicalmusicandopera.shopping1

https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/opera/lully-8

[nico1616]

Rousset is really the best Lully conductor I know. Nothing can compare to his orchestral sound in this music.
You really feel like you're in the court of Louis XIV. Moreover the cast is an overall great one, with Karine Deshayes' Médée as the standout.

[nico1616]

One of the first Lully operas, Rousset makes it superb.

[nico1616]

Zoroastre seldom gets mentioned as a top Rameau opera. The Christie recording does it full justice, the cast is impeccable and I always love the orchestral sound of Les Arts Florissants. It joins Platée, Dardanus and Hippolyte as one of my favorite Rameaus.

[nico1616]

Now the original version, in a version that is as addictive as Christie's. It is a great time for baroque opera recordings 

[Que]

Now the original version, in a version that is as addictive as Christie's. It is a great time for baroque opera recordings 

It is! Such a wealth of recordings available. 

I have the Christie recording of Zoroastre, but have to investigate Kossenko. In general, because I noticed more interesting  recordings by him.

[The new erato]

A great recording of a very accessible Handel work:

[nico1616]

I'm in a Rameau mood these last weeks. Even a minor work like this Achante et Céphise is a pleasant surprise.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I haven't listened to any Lully in eons.  Will have to dig around and see what all I have and give it a listen.

PD

[Que]

A blast from the past! My own past to be precise, since this is one of the Lully operas  by Hugo Reyne that I got years ago as a bargain:

 

The libretto by Quinault is loosely based on parts of Ovid's Metamorphoses, after a prologue celebrating Louis XIV conquests with military pomp. The story line, though offering not much cohesion in dramatic action, give occassion to music with different moods and depicting different mythical scenes. Lully shines primarily in the 2nd half of the opera, starting halfway the 2nd act. Up to that point the string of monologues and dialogues can be a bit of a drag... Unfortunately I do not find the tense, slighty harsh voice of the main female character, Françoise Masset singing Io/Isis, very easy on the ear. Isabelle Desrochers (Iris, Hebe) and Guillaumette Laurens (Junon) do better. The main male singers are agreeable to listen to.

The story of Jupiter coveting the nymph Io (later to be transformed into the godess Isis), under the watchful eye of his jealous wife Juno resonated with courtiers that saw a connection with a love affair of the King himself. For this presumed indiscretion Quinault was banned from court for two years...

Some more background information about the opera:
https://www.lestalenslyriques.com/en/resources/isis-ressources/

All in, judging from this live recording from 2005, I wouldn't call Isis an indispensable Lully opera though it has some attractive points. It could benefit from a more vivid recording, a more energetic performance and a better portrayal of the main character Io/Isis. The chorus can also be sloppy at times...

Perhaps this could be delivered by the studio recording conducted by Christophe Rousset from 2019?



I'm curious on any comments on that recording! 

[nico1616]

Perhaps this could be delivered by the studio recording conducted by Christophe Rousset from 2019?


I'm curious on any comments on that recording! 

I have both recordings and the Rousset rules out the other one on all accounts. He has the better cast and Rousset has a real 'Lully sound' in all his recordings. You can imagine you are in the 1670s at the French court listening to this. Reyne is quite boring in comparison.
If you only want the highlights of Isis, listen to the Christie cd, you get a great version of the famous frost scene
But I guess you know that one seeing your avatar.

[Que]

I have both recordings and the Rousset rules out the other one on all accounts. He has the better cast and Rousset has a real 'Lully sound' in all his recordings. You can imagine you are in the 1670s at the French court listening to this. Reyne is quite boring in comparison.
If you only want the highlights of Isis, listen to the Christie cd, you get a great version of the famous frost scene
But I guess you know that one seeing your avatar.

I think you're right about Reyne's Isis - I do feel he didn't achieve the full potential of the opera. I think I'll try the Rousset streaming. And thnx for mentioning the Christie operatic scenes recording - I actually do not have that! 

[The new erato]

Played this yesterday. Worth listening to, and refreshing to hear a french baroque opera from a composer not amongst the usual suspects:



Good performance and recording.

[nico1616]

Christie's Atys marked in 1987 the start of the Lully revival, with a young Rousset as assistant. Now, 37 years later, Rousset finally conducted his own recording. First impression is positive, a great cast and the typical Rousset-Lully sound.

[nico1616]

This is the first time since long that a blind buy of a Lully opera disappoints me.
It starts already with the ouverture, with those strange accents, but I could handle this orchestral sound if the cast wasn't such a bummer. d'Oustrac was lauded by critics for her live performances of the title role but I just don't hear it. Her voice sounds forced and wrong for the part. The male roles of Hidraot and Aronte are horribly cast and even Auvity is not in his best form. The Rousset Armide is so much better in all respects.
I guess I should use streaming more before I buy...

[nico1616]

Alexis Kossenko is really great at this French repertoire. The work itself is a rediscovered 'ballet héroïque'premiered in 1749, full of light 'divertissements'.