Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) | Francais (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | | 90 min | 4,93 Gb (DVD9)
Classical | Label: Château de Versailles Spectacles | Sub: Francais, English, Deutsch | Recorded: 2019
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) | Francais (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | | 90 min | 4,93 Gb (DVD9)
Classical | Label: Château de Versailles Spectacles | Sub: Francais, English, Deutsch | Recorded: 2019
André Grétry's Richard Coeur de Lion, or Richard the Lionhearted, lay neglected until 2019 when a production by the Opéra Royal de Versailles was mounted. This album is taken from that performance, and it's very well recorded indeed. The opera was quite well known in its time and was even performed in the young U.S. (in Boston, in 1796), and it's a great find, a real crowd-pleaser as much today as at the end of the 18th century. The story is based on a probably imaginary tale of an episode during Richard's return from the Crusades, when he was imprisoned in Linz, Austria. A trouvère singer named Blondel who serves the king realizes his predicament, sneaks into the prison disguised as a blind fiddler, and touches off an action-packed sequence of events with a romance involving the prison governor, a grand party, and a visiting Flemish countess whose troops rescue Richard in the end. The action allows Grétry to serve up some lovely tunes, a battle scene, and, best of all, a series of rhythmically subtle dances that will hold any listener's attention. The cast of singers catches the dimensions of the work perfectly, putting the text across and adapting itself to the idea of conductor Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel that thinking of the work as something like a Broadway musical will bring good results. This is certainly a specialist release, but it's one that should find an enthusiastic audience beyond those concerned with French opera of the late 18th century.–James Manheim
Performer:
Blondel - Enguerrand de Hys
Laurette - Melody Louledjian
Richard - Reinoud Van Mechelen
Antonio, La Comtesse - Marie Perbost
Williams - Geoffroy Buffière
Urbain, Florestan, Mathurin - Jean-Gabriel Saint-Martin
Madame Mathurin - Cécile Achille
Guillot, Charles - François Pardailhé
Colette - Agathe Boudet
Sénéchal - Charles Barbier
Béatrix - Virginie Lefebvre
Un Paysan - François Joron
Chœur et Orchestre du Concert Spirituel
Direction musicale - Hervé Niquet
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
Hervé Niquet, Le Concert Spirituel - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion (2020)
