Tous Complices

Douze concepts abordés en autant de récits dans lesquels Kant, Spinoza ou encore Platon s'invitent pour aider à surmonter les aléas de l'existence et dédramatiser ces situations avec humour et esprit. …

The epic tale of the fall of Troy haunted Berlioz from childhood and inspired some of his most passionately dramatic, richly colorful music. This is Colin Davis's second recording of Les Troyens, following his (out-of-print) 1969 version. Magnificent though it was, some reckoned that reading lacked something in zip. Here, however, such reservations could never apply. Recorded across several lavishly praised concert performances in London in December 2000, this Troyens has an extraordinary electricity and rhythmic drive.

This must be one of the most important historical documents ever to appear from previously unavailable archives. Much as we admire and praise Davis’s Berlioz (whose latest Trojans we reviewed last month)‚ Beecham has to be at least his peer on this and much other evidence. His arresting‚ inspiriting and brilliantly crafted performance here is a thing to marvel at in its understanding of the true Berlioz spirit. He persuades his newly formed RPO and the BBC Theatre Chorus of the day into giving quite thrilling accounts of their music that not even indifferent sound can mar. Beecham was to have returned‚ at Covent Garden‚ to the grand masterpiece in 1960‚ but that was not to be: a severe stroke prevented what would surely have been his crowning service to Berlioz right at the end of his distinguished career.

La « sainte et glorieuse croisade » de 1830 devait, disait-on, débarrasser l’Europe et la Chrétienté d’un nid de pirates et d’esclavagistes. On le dit encore : les mythes sont tenaces. Quand la Royale Armada fit voile pour Alger, les Raïs algériens avaient, depuis des années, amarré leurs chebeks. Quant aux esclaves chrétiens, il ne restait dans les bagnes d’Alger qu’une centaine de prisonniers de guerre, des Grecs de la guerre de Morée pour la plupart. Selon Michel Habart, la vérité est que les prétextes de notre déclaration de guerre de 1827 n’étaient qu’une suite de provocations…