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Lully - Acis et Galatee (Blu-ray) | Dynamic 57971

Lully - Acis et Galatee (Blu-ray)

£26.63

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Label: Dynamic

Cat No: 57971

Barcode: 8007144579715

Format: Blu-ray

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Opera

Release Date: 2nd June 2023

Gramophone Editor's Choice

Contents

Artists

Jean-Francois Lombard (tenor)
Elena Harsanyi (soprano)
Valeria La Grotta (soprano)
Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli (soprano)
Markus Van Arsdale (tenor)
Sebastian Monti (tenor)
Luigi De Donato (bass)
Guido Loconsolo (baritone)
Silvia Spessot (soprano)
Davide Piva (bass)
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Conductor

Federico Maria Sardelli

Works

Lully, Jean-Baptiste

Acis et Galatee

Artists

Jean-Francois Lombard (tenor)
Elena Harsanyi (soprano)
Valeria La Grotta (soprano)
Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli (soprano)
Markus Van Arsdale (tenor)
Sebastian Monti (tenor)
Luigi De Donato (bass)
Guido Loconsolo (baritone)
Silvia Spessot (soprano)
Davide Piva (bass)
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Conductor

Federico Maria Sardelli

About

Having been granted unprecedented authority by Louis XIV, the Sun King, no-one could stage operas in France without Jean-Baptiste Lully’s permission. By 1686, however, Lully’s authority was waning and his long-standing librettist deserted him to write sacred works. Despite these setbacks, Lully wrote Acis et Galatée, a pastorale héroïque, and one of his final masterpieces. Its plot – the cyclops Poliphème’s love for the nymph Galatée – drew from Lully an astonishing alternation of effects, a profound monologue for the nymph in Act III and a magnificent concluding Passacaille, all framed by a succession of dances and vividly conceived choruses.

‘For the first time in its history the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale made use of period instruments, from whom Sardelli elicited a beautiful sound, expertly uncovering the score’s textural and rhythmic contrasts, without ever descending into excess....His [Federico Maria Sardelli] reading was lively, but always graceful and refined.’

‘…His [Jean-François] attention to the nuances of the text was superb, every phrase was carefully and elegantly moulded to fit their meaning... She [Elena Harsányi] possesses a well-supported voice with an homogenous tone, which she used skillfully to define her character, convincingly bridging the gap between the human and the semi-divine... Bass Luigi De Donato made a strong impression in the role of Polipème, managing to dominate the stage in more ways than one.’ – Operawire.com

‘...The opera represented in May marks a debut for Italy Final performance of the Sardelli festival on the podium: an ovation. …The contribution of the voices with in the foreground Jean-François Lombard’s sighing and slightly lifeless Acis, the luminous Galatée by Elena Harsányi and above all the colorful Polyphème by Luigi De Donato, a monster in love at the same time brutal and pathetic…’ – La Nazione Firenze

Cast:
- Acis: Jean-François Lombard (tenor)
- Galatée: Elena Harsányi (soprano)
- Diane, Deuxième Naïade, Scylla: Valeria La Grotta (soprano)
- L’Abondance, Aminte, Première Naïade: Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli (soprano)
- Comus, Tircis: Markus Van Arsdale (tenor)
- Apollon, Le Prêtre de Junon, Télème: Sebastian Monti (tenor)
- Poliphème: Luigi De Donato (bass)
- Neptune: Guido Loconsolo (baritone)
- Une Dryade: Silvia Spessot (soprano)
- Un Sylvain: Davide Piva (bass)

Director: Benjamin Lazar
Co-director: Elizabeth Calleo
Set designer: Adelin Caron
Costumes designer: Alain Blanchot
Lights designer: Christophe Naillet
Assistant costumes: Mathilda Benmoussa
Choreographer: Gudrun Skamletz
Video director: Matteo Ricchetti

Recording place: Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino – Sala Zubin Mehta, Florence, Italy
Recording date: 9 July 2022

Video format / Aspect ratio: 16:9 1080/60
Audio format: PCM STEREO 2.0 / DTS 5.1 HD Master Audio
Region code: 0 – All regions
Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean
Notes: Italian, English
Duration: 112 min. approx.

Reviews

Benjamin Lazar’s staging for Florence’s Maggio Musicale is a light-touch, low-budget affair. The framing narrative nods to the opera’s origins as a private commission for the Duc de Vendôme to honour the visiting dauphin. ... Conductor Federico Maria Sardelli (wielding an authentically Lullian staff for certain movements) propels a crisp account – the festival orchestra’s first with period instruments. ... Soprano Elena Harsányi is a piquant, elusive Galatée. Frostier than her Handelian counterpart, she melts only in her fleeting dialogue with Acis and her ravishing post-wedding air en chaconneAlexandra Coghlan
Gramophone August 2023

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