Must Love Dogs La Main au Collier (2005)

Henri Dumont is an important figure in the French Baroque scene in that he was one of the pioneers in the development of the "grands motets" that saw such fruit in the works of Lully, Delaland, Campra, Charpentier, Rameau and others. From what I've heard of his music, it tends to be a bit more subdued and sombre that a lot of the festive and almost manic works from some of the others mentioned. This disc has four motets, one of which; Dialogus de anima, has been recorded before. I have the versions by Herreweghe and Rousset.

Science millénaire, dont on retrouve la trace en Inde, puis en Chine, en Perse, au Japon, en Egypte et en Grèce d'où elle tire l'origine de son nom (du grec Kheir: main, Manteia: divination), c'est au Moyen-Age que la Chiromancie atteint son apogée, en Occident. …

This attractive and lively production of Puccini's Wild West opera makes the best imaginable case for it, especially the exuberant Barbara Daniels in the title role; while Domingo is at his peak, in 1992, as the nice bandit Dick Johnson. (BBC Music Magazine)