le Jour du Seigneur

Richard Leech has sung his Raoul to enthusiastic audiences in Berlin and elsewhere, and it is good to hear a voice which has such a clean ring to it, evenly produced and tastefully directed (even if not invariably observing Meyerbeer's detailed instructions). The Valentine is Francoise Pollet, an exceptional singer (especially among the French) in the sympathetic roundness of her tone, exactly right for a good nine-tenths of the role (the remaining fraction calling for more rejoicing on the high Cs). As Nevers, the excellent Gilles Cachemaille gives a courtly, well-schooled performance. –Gramophone

André Campra's "Tancrède" is something of a "missing link", connecting the 17th century stage works of Jean-Baptiste Lully and his frustrated rival Marc-Antoine Charpentier with the late baroque works of Jean-Philippe Rameau. "Tancrède" was given its premiere in 1702 and was repeated again and again on the Paris stage. Even in the 1760's, when Rameau's "Les Boréades" had to be abandoned because of the death of the composer, it was Campra's "Tancrède" that the directors of the Paris Opéra chose to put back on stage because of its popularity.

A Baroque West Side Story, Tancrède tells of the absolute but impossible love between two young people brought together by their passion but separated by their origins. We are in the time of the Crusades: Tancredi is the champion of the Frankish army, and Clorinda the passionaria of the Saracen troops. In the labyrinth of sentiments, sorcerer Isménor's magic wand confuses the issues, luring the two heroes into the enchanted forest to better prepare their downfall. With Tancrède, André Campra (1660-1744) established himself as one of the great opera composers between Lully and Rameau.

The present release is the first recording of Meyerbeer‘s principal work, recorded on the basis of the new critical edition of the opera. This edition not only considers the musical text of the version known during the 19th century and released by the publisher Brandus, but also offers the version of the work that Meyerbeer produced for the definitive instrumentation and allowed to be rehearsed in Paris beginning in December 1848. OehmsClassics is delighted not only over the magnificent production, but also over the continuation of their collaboration with the Aalto Music Theatre in Essen. With an all-star cast including John Osborn, Marianne Cornetti, Lynette Tapia, and many more, this production is one that cannot be missed.

Martin a un secret : il cache un jeune faucon qu'il réussit à apprivoiser. C'est une aventure dangereuse car, en ce temps-là, le petit paysan risque la prison s'il garde pour lui l'oiseau réservé aux chasses du seigneur.
Mais Martin s'en moque, il refuse de se soumettre et rien ne l'arrêtera.
Un faucon! Martin adorerait en avoir un. Hélas, seuls les seigneurs ont ce droit. Et le jeune garçon est un serf… Malgré les lois féodales, Martin déniche un jour un oisillon…