Reinoud Van Mechelen (Atys), Marie Lys (Sangaride/Flore), Ambroisine Bré (Cybèle), Philippe Estèphe (Célénus)
Les Talens Lyriques, Choeur de Chambre de Namur, Christophe Rousset
This is Atys, the King's Opera, Lully's masterpiece, premiered in 1676 before the court. A legendary work in the rediscovery of Grand-Siecle operas, Atys is a paragon of emerging lyric art: it places love at the centre of the plot, and its hero - for the first time in Lully's work - dies on stage, provoking a sumptuous lamentation that could wring tears from the most hardened heart. Lully's incredible music magnifies Philippe Quinault's splendid tragic text, creating their first joint masterpiece, an Atys adored by the Sun King. Christophe Rousset offers his vision of a piece that has fascinated him for the past three decades, lending it the sensual colour imbued by the Reinoud Van Mechelen's performance, a miraculous Atys...
The instrumentalists of Les Talens Lyriques brilliantly tease out the drama...but the ultimate glory is Rousset ’s playing of the harpsichord, to which he gives its own affective voice – rejoicing , chiding, urging, weeping – to match the action.
Rousset’s pacing of the score is admirable. The recitatives never drag, and the set pieces benefit from his subtle approach to tempo.
57 Akadimias Street, Athens
Zip. 106 79
T. +30 210 3626137 - int.1
E. [email protected]
Login
Ελληνικά
English