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Landi - Sant’Alessio | Virgin 5189999

Landi - Sant’Alessio

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Label: Virgin

Cat No: 5189999

Barcode: 5099951899998

Format: DVD - NTSC

Number of Discs: 2

Genre: Opera

Release Date: 19th May 2008

This product has now been deleted. Information is for reference only.

Contents

Artists

Philippe Jaroussky
Max Emanuel Cencic
Alain Buet
Xavier Sabata
Damien Guillon
Pascal Bertin
Jose Lemos
Luigi de Donato
Jean-Paul Bonnevalle
Terry Wey
Ryland Angel
Ludovic Provost
Orchestra and Chorus of Les Arts Florissants
Maitrise de Caen
William Christie (harpsichord, organ)

Conductor

William Christie

Works

Landi, Stefano

Il Sant'Alessio

Artists

Philippe Jaroussky
Max Emanuel Cencic
Alain Buet
Xavier Sabata
Damien Guillon
Pascal Bertin
Jose Lemos
Luigi de Donato
Jean-Paul Bonnevalle
Terry Wey
Ryland Angel
Ludovic Provost
Orchestra and Chorus of Les Arts Florissants
Maitrise de Caen
William Christie (harpsichord, organ)

Conductor

William Christie

About

Stefano Landi (baptized February 26, 1587 – October 28, 1639): Italian composer and teacher of the early Baroque Roman School. First performed at the Palazzo Barberini in Rome in 1632, Landi’s Sant’Alessio (Saint Alexius) is recognised as the earliest opera on an historical, rather than mythological subject.

William Christie made an audio recording of this rarely-seen work some years ago, but this DVD, produced with TV station France 3, shows the opera for the first time in the full glory of a production by baroque theatre expert Benjamin Lazar. Staged in Caen (where the DVD was filmed) and Paris in October 2007, the opera was subsequently presented in concert form in London and New York, and is scheduled for the opera houses of Luxembourg and Nancy in early 2008.

For his second DVD on Virgin Classics (after Monteverdi’s Ritorno d’Ulisse in patria), Christie followed authentic Roman precedent by casting the opera entirely with male singers, including a chorus of choirboys and no less than eight countertenors. Two of these are already established as star soloists on Virgin Classics: Philippe Jaroussky in the title role - with, in the words of the New York Times, “heartbreaking conviction” - and Max Emmanuel Cencic, who takes the role of Alessio’s wife in a “flamboyant yet wrenching” performance (the New York Times again).

The libretto, written by Cardinal Giulio Rospigliosi (the future Pope Clement IX), tells the story of saintly sacrifice: on his wedding night Alessio departs alone for the Holy Land in search of sanctity. Years later he returns unrecognised as a beggar to his family home, where his father, mother and wife still mourn him. A demon tempts Alessio to reveal his true identity and so end his family’s grief, but an angel keeps him on the sacred path. The dying Alessio leaves a letter explaining the truth and an angelic chorus bids his family to rejoice rather than mourn, since he has been received into heaven. This strange, solemn and elevated story is leavened with comic scenes in the commedia dell’arte vein, adding to the rich musico-dramatic variety of the entire opera.

Cast:
• Sant'Alessio - Philippe Jaroussky (counter-tenor)
• Sposa - Max Emanuel Cencic (counter-tenor)
• Eufemianon - Alain Buet (bass)
• Madre - Xavier Sabata (counter-tenor)
• Curtio - Damien Guillon (counter-tenor)
• Nuntio - Pascal Bertin (counter-tenor)
• Martio - José Lemos (counter-tenor)
• Demonio - Luigi de Donato (bass)
• Nutrice - Jean-Paul Bonnevalle (counter-tenor)
• Religione / Roma -Terry Wey (counter-tenor)
• Adrasto - Ryland Angel (tenor)
• Uno del choro - Ludovic Provost (bass)

Orchestra and Chorus of Les Arts Florissants
Maîtrise de Caen
William Christie - conductor, harpsichord and organ
Stage Director: Benjamin Lazar

Sound format: LPCM Stereo / Dolby 5.1 Surround / DTS 5.1 Surround
Menu: English
Sung in Italian
Subtitles: GB, F, DE, I, ESP

Bonus: William Christie interview on Sant’Alessio & Benjamin Lazar interview on the production

Reviews from Sant’Alessio on tour 2007:

William Christie … has created an event of great beauty. The production is visually enchanting. Candlelight and shimmering costumes transform the scenes into magnificent tableaux vivants.” Le Figaro

"Christie's musical direction was as faultless as the saint himself, giving full range to Landi's wide, expressive variety and extraordinary spiritual eloquence." The Guardian

…totally gripping, deeply moving, three hours of musical sensitivity, of vocal and instrumental prowess on levels rarely encountered … flawless modern presentation of a 17th-century opera. This Sant’Alessio shone as a beacon of musical and dramatic intelligence.” Opera magazine

With eight countertenors on stage, the vocal honours went to Philippe Jaroussky, who made Alessio's self-abnegating sufferings a personal journey into holiness. Max Emanuel Cencic and Xavier Sabata had some of the most affecting scenes as his wife and mother respectively, while Damien Guillon and José Lemos provided some urgently needed comic relief as a couple of irrepressibly worldly page-boys. Luigi de Donato sang the Demon who tempts Alessio, aided by a sardonic beard and some unfeasibly low notes.” The Guardian

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