Orchestral opulence, finesse of colors, obvious theatrical expressiveness and sense of contrast of rare rhetorical authority.
By putting back on the job, for the Château de Versailles label, the first lyrical tragedy of Lully,
Cadmus and Hermione
, Vincent Dumestre achieved a masterstroke at the end of 2019... He inscribed this new version in the pantheon of Lullist recordings, ten years after the to have approached for the stage at the Opéra Comique (in a striking production by Benjamin Lazar).
It is therefore in a burst of continuity that the conductor is tackling this season the last of the lyrical tragedies of the Lully-Quinault tandem.
Nearly fifteen years and ten collaborations separate the creation of their first joint opus,
Cadmus and Hermione
, from the composition of
Armide
.
Between the two books, a totally different world opens up.
Musician and librettist have had time to refine their style.
They assert themselves with this ultimate lyrical tragedy as powerful playwrights.
"An opera that Louis XIV probably did not hear during Lully's lifetime
(who died a year later, editor's note)
, the two men being angry at the time"
, specifies Laurent Brunner.
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An opera, above all, which requires an outstanding tragic actress for its title role.
“A true incarnation,”
he continues.
Vincent Dumestre found it in the person of Stéphanie d'Oustrac, with whom Le Poème Harmonique has forged a fruitful collaboration for several years (witness their recent and original project bringing together baroque and songs from the Roaring Twenties!).
Directed by Dominique Pitoiset.
The Dijon Opera, which he directs, co-produced the show.
“Armide”, from May 11 to 14 at the Royal Opera.