Music / opera

Alceste


Reviews (3)


MusicWeb international

2018 April

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Stuart Sillitoe

2018 April

"Recording of the month: Lully's Alceste is generally regarded as one of his finest operas ... The performance is wonderful, with Christophe Rousset getting to the real heart of Lully's music and drawing the very best out of the singers and instrumentalists alike ... His choice of tempo and careful editing of the score produce a finished product which ... is a clear winner".


BBC music magazine

2018 April

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Kate Bolton-Porciatti

2018 April

"Opera choice: Loosely based on Euripides's drama ... love in its many guises - passionate, flirtatious, noble and selfless - is the driving force of the opera ... Directing from the harpsichord, Christophe Rousset brings just the right balance of spontaneity and refinement to this recording. Outstanding among the stylish cast are Judith Van Wanroij as the eponymous heroine ... Most compelling of all, though, is the Nemur Chamber Choir, whose singing is by turns rapt and silky, agile and urgent".


The gramophone

2018 February

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Richard Wigmore

2018 February

"Editor's choice: Few if any conductors match Christophe Rousset's understanding of Lullian style and rhetoric ... His pacing and inflecting of the music seems unerring ... [and he] draws compelling performances from his singers, all of whom sound at ease in the tricky-to-master art of natural French declamation ... It is hard to imagine this music, often delightful, sometimes witty, intermittently touching, coming alive more vividly than it does here".