Rameau: Operas (Les Boréades; Castor et Pollux; In Convertendo; Les Indes Galante; Les Paladins; Zoroastre) - DVD

ENGLISH

Rameau: Operas (Les Boréades; Castor et Pollux; In Convertendo; Les Indes Galante; Les Paladins; Zoroastre) (OA1052BD)<br /> <br /> Paul Agnew (Tenor); Barbara Bonney (Soprano); Sophie Daneman (Soprano); Veronique Gens (Soprano); Danielle de Niese (Soprano); Les Talens Lyriques; Les Arts florissants; William Christie; Christophe Rouset<br /> <br /> This collection of five operas, and a rarely performed grand motet, offers a glimpse into the magnificent output of one of the leading French composers of the Baroque<br /> era. Jean-Philippe Rameau is renowned for his use of melody, particularly in the operatic field and this 11-DVD set brings together some of the most lavish and splendid productions of his work, with some of the leading exponents of early music performance.<br /> <br /> "It’s possible to recreate everything about an eighteenth century opera except the audience,’ says director Robert Carsen in a documentary included with this DVD. ‘My work is for modern audiences.’ And how...In this brilliant production, Carsen goes to the heart of the drama...Michael Levine’s stylised, bold designs allow the story to unfold with gripping clarity and, remarkably, some of the spectacular set-pieces (especially the storm in Act III) work even better on DVD than in the theatre itself. Barbara Bonney is vocally and dramatically stunning as Alphise…Conductor William Christie responds to Rameau’s varied and colourful score with élan, and Édouard Lock’s choreography – a version of classical ballet deconstructed and then pumped with amphetamines – is breathtaking." (Classic fM - Les Boréades)<br /> <br /> "Rameau's brilliantly composed airs, expressive recitatives, infectious dances and sturdy choruses are of untouchable high quality. " (Gramophone - Castor et Pollux)<br /> <br /> "These motets contain gorgeous music: they are to some degree concert music as much as religious music, and indeed the version of In Convertendo that has survived is the revised one for the Concert Spirituel. Lengthy orchestral parts, ravishing solos accompanied by flutes,<br /> occasional interludes with oboes and bassoons, make a lot of the music lyrical, if not elegiac." (www.medieval.org)<br /> <br /> "The production is hugely entertaining. José Montalvo makes use of video techniques to dazzle the eye with a variety of metamorphoses: a dancer becomes a butterfly, stone lions come to life, a tiger turns into a wolf, which becomes an elephant...Stéphanie d'Oustrac and Topi Lehtipuu are credible young lovers, d'Oustrac singing her Act 2 ariette, 'Je vole, Armour', with a deeply moving intensity. Sandrine Piau and Laurent Naouri couldn't be bettered as the secondary pair. " (Gramophone - Les paladins)<br /> <br /> "Described as an Opera-Ballet in four Acts, Les Indes Galantes was Rameau's biggest stage success in his own lifetime, and one can understand why from this spectacular production, staged at the Paris Opéra in 2004. The director, Andrei Serban, presents the piece with the sort of lavish effects and movement that would have delighted 18th-century audiences...Outstanding among the soloists are Nathan Berg as Huascar...Anna Maria Panzarella as Emilie and Paul Agnew as Valere, with Joao Fernandez memorably in drag as Bellone. The final curtain brings an exuberant encore after the credits, with Christie hilariously joining in the dance." (The Penguin Guide)