Soprano en Feu

The musical world owes a debt of gratitude to French conductor Christophe Rousset not only for the vital, exquisite performances he delivers with the ensembles Les Talens Lyriques and Choeur de Chambre de Namur, but for his work in bringing to light neglected masterpieces of Baroque opera. Lully's Bellérophon, premiered in 1679, was a huge success in its time, with an initial run of nine months. Part of its popularity was doubtless due to the parallels that could be drawn between its plot and certain recent exploits of Louis XV, but even the earliest critics recognized the score's uniqueness and exceptional quality within Lully's oeuvre, so it's perhaps surprising that it has never been recorded before.

Bizet is more than Carmen. In his opera Les pêcheurs de perles you find melodies to die for and not only the vocal music is beautiful, but also the orchestral and ballet pieces too. The opera includes “Warhorse” romance in every tenor’s repertoire: “Je crois entendre encore”, the tenor-baritone duet “Au fond du temple saint”. The tenor “has the most beautiful romances, some of which are nothing less than exceptional, and able to ensure Bizet’s eternal fame.” (Corriere della sera)

Bizet is more than Carmen. In his opera Les pêcheurs de perles you find melodies to die for and not only the vocal music is beautiful, but also the orchestral and ballet pieces too. The opera includes “Warhorse” romance in every tenor’s repertoire: “Je crois entendre encore”, the tenor-baritone duet “Au fond du temple saint”. The tenor “has the most beautiful romances, some of which are nothing less than exceptional, and able to ensure Bizet’s eternal fame.”

Chantal Santon-Jeffery est maintenant bien connue des baroqueux. Elle mène une belle carrière aussi bien dans le baroque français qu’italien des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, participant notamment à la plupart des résurrections du Palazetto Bru Zane. Depuis quelques années, on la croise même dans l’opéra contemporain, Janacek ou Britten. Il faut dire que son soprano ample, son timbre brillant, la qualité de sa diction et son attention à la dramatisation des textes ont de quoi séduire, d’autant que la dame est aventureuse.

Achille-Claude Debussy (22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. Alongside Maurice Ravel he was one of the most prominent figures associated with Impressionist music, although Debussy disliked the term when applied to his compositions. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his use of non-traditional scales and chromaticism influenced many composers who followed. Debussy's music is noted for its sensory content and frequent use of nontraditional tonalities. The prominent French literary style of his period was known as Symbolism, and this movement directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant.

Although he incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell developed a properly English form of Baroque music. A complete musician, he eclipses by the quality and variety of his work all that his contemporaries have been able to write in the genres he addressed: opera, stage music, secular and religious cantatas, music for keyboard or chamber music.