Rameau - Les Boreades (William Christie, Barbara Bonney, Paul Agnew) [2004]

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Rameau - Les Boreades (William Christie, Barbara Bonney, Paul Agnew) [2004]

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'It’s possible to recreate everything about an eighteenth century opera except the audience,’ says director Robert Carsen in a documentary included with this DVD. ‘My work is for modern audiences.’ And how. Les Boréades (1763) is Rameau’s last opera, and tells the story of Alphise, a queen torn between her obligation to marry a Boréade (a descendant of the god Boreas) and her love for a poor young Apollonian priest. In this brilliant production, Carsen goes to the heart of the drama by turning the piece into a contest between the forces of tradition and innovation, with the Boréade court dressed in severe, tightly tailored 1940s Dior and the Apollonians in loose white linen. Michael Levine’s stylised, bold designs allow the story to unfold with gripping clarity and, remarkably, some of the spectacular set-pieces (especially the storm in Act III) work even better on DVD than in the theatre itself. Barbara Bonney is vocally and dramatically stunning as Alphise and the haut-contre (high tenor) Paul Agnew is equally good as her lover. Conductor William Christie responds to Rameau’s varied and colourful score with élan, and Édouard Lock’s choreography - a version of classical ballet, deconstructed and then pumped with amphetamines – is breathtaking.' (Classic fM)

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Rameau - Les Boreades (William Christie, Barbara Bonney, Paul Agnew) [2004]

Close