Lemoyne: Phedre (complete opera production from 1786)
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JEAN-BAPTISTE LEMOYNE
Lemoyne: Phedre (complete opera production from 1786)
Judith van Wanroij, Julien Behr, Tassis Christoyannis, Melody Louledjian, Jérôme Boutillier / Orfeo Orchestra, Purcell Choir, György Vashegyi
[ Bru Zane / 2 CD/Book ]
Release Date: Friday 24 April 2020
This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.
The myth of Phaedra and Hippolytus, as terrible as it is fascinating, has been retold by many artists over the centuries, including composers. This recording presents the first performance of Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne's opera in its complete form since the premiere. It reveals a work whose classical surface conceals a style that is vehement, exalted and threatening by turns, a thrilling testimony to the bubbling energy of pre-Romanticism. Served by the total commitment of the Orfeo Orchestra and Purcell Choir under the direction of György Vashegyi, the drama closes in on the inescapable destinies of Phèdre, Hippolyte and Thésée, movingly sung by Judith van Wanroij, Julien Behr and Tassis Christoyannis.
Contents of the book:
Alexandre Dratwicki, Rediscovering Phèdre
Benoît Dratwicki, Phèdre: a composer, a singer, a work
Julien Garde, Gluck and Lemoyne
Étienne Jardin, The critical reception
Étienne de Lacépède, On tragédie lyrique
Synopsis
Libretto
"Lemoyne demonstrates impressive integrity as a musical dramatist…The central performances all stand up to scrutiny. Judith van Wanroij's Phèdre hones in on the text, its meaning carefully embedded in the composer's setting…Performances of character and sensitivity are provided by the Hungarian period-instrument orchestra and its attendant choir, while the conductor György Vashegyi maintains musical and dramatic dynamism." BBC Music Five Stars
"Phèdre is pervaded with what you might call a noble simplicity; and if Lemoyne can't match Gluck for memorable tunes, he certainly has a gift for intense, declamatory recitative. Other memorable touches include the unexpectedly quiet endings to the first and last acts and the splendour of his orchestration...György Vashegyi's conducting of the Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra is as gripping and stylish as ever." Gramophone
