Le Destin du Nouveau Siècle (‘The Fate of the New Century’): what a pertinent idea for a libretto for the year 1700! This unknown opera-ballet by Campra, premiered at the College Louis-le-Grand, foreshadowed the century that was opening in France, where Louis XIV had been King for… 57 years!
'Ulysse' by Jean-Fery Rebel (1666-1747), with its prologue and five acts, was given at the Paris Opera on January 23 1703. The libretto by Henry Guichard, after Homer, recounts the return of Ulysses to Ithaca, where Circe, still in love with him, attempts to regain him by magic. The opera ends in the triumph of love over evil. Rebel followed the formal framework of the lyric tragedies of his master Lully, including some scenes to marvel at. But his orchestral writing also announces Rameau, especially in the depiction of battles, earthquakes or storms.
La Tempestad se ha presentado al público en Festivales como los de Aranjuez, Cádiz, Sevilla, Marbella, Murcia, Santillana del Mar, Valladolid, Almería, Daroca, Zaragoza, etc. Sus miembros, formados en importantes conservatorios europeos (Toulouse, Viena, Amsterdam, La Haya), han formado parte de Al Ayre Español, La Real Cámara, El Concierto Español, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of the XVIII Century, European Union Baroque Orchestra, La Stravaganza, Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, etc., con quienes han actuado por España, Europa, Israel y China.
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is a Swiss symphony orchestra, based in Geneva at the Victoria Hall. In addition to symphony concerts, the OSR performs as the opera orchestra in productions at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
The daughter of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile and the mother of King Charles V, Joan the Mad (Juana la Loca in Spanish) was a Spanish queen who lived from 1479-1555. She is believed to have suffered from mental illness – possibly, she experienced what is now called schizophrenia – and was confined to the historic castle at Tordesillas. A fascinating CD, Music for Joan the Mad was inspired by the life of the Spanish queen, who was believed to be a major music lover. La Nef didn't claim that Music for Joan the Mad was an exact re-creation of Spanish music from the 15th and 16th centuries – the Quebec-based ensemble takes its share of liberties.
Tomás Luis de Victoria’s OFFICIUM HEBDOMADÆ SANCTÆ is one of the most compelling examples of creative genius in a composer, a toweringly poignant and masterpiece on the Passion of Christ, a pure but infinitely subtle creation, Ad majorem Dei gloriam.
The second volume of the Complete Harpsichord Works includes the unpublished harpsichord works of Jacques Champion de Chambonnières from manuscript sources. Performed by Karen Flint on the 1635 and 1627 Ioannes Ruckers harpsichords.
The first recordings made by Rocío Jurado of flamenco that made her succeed before she became the extraordinary copla interpreter. They are recordings of the period 1962-1966. Las primeras grabaciones que hizo Rocío Jurado de flamenco y que le hicieron triunfar antes de convertirse en la intérprete extraordinaria de copla. Son grabaciones del período 1962-1966.
Guilty of allowing the sacred fire to go out while declaring her love to the general Licinius, the Vestal Virgin Julia is sentenced to be buried alive. But her execution is averted by a divine intervention, which rekindles the altar flame and absolves the victim. The simple plot of Gaspare Spontini’s La Vestale achieved resounding success in 1807 thanks to the highly skilled treatment of the characters’ psychology and the transparency of the political allusions – Licinius is an allegory of Napoleon Bonaparte himself. Yet the work is more than a mere piece of propaganda: it represents one of the links between the tragédie lyrique of the Ancien Régime and the future grand opéra à la française, even anticipating Bellinian bel canto.