Charpentier: Orphée Aux Enfers

The 'Orpheus' myth was as important for the birth of opera in France as it had been in Italy. In 1684, Charpentier composed a work for three voices, 'Orphée descendant aux Enfers'. With this piece, remarkable for its style and concision, he showed how well he had assimilated Carissimi's art. It is a dramatic scene, similar to the 'sacred histories' of the Roman master. The text, by an unknown author, narrates Orpheus' quest for his beloved in the Underworld. The hero's haute-contre gives him an elegiac timbre - this was the vocal register in which Charpentier, himself a singer, excelled. In 1687 he created his second illustration of the myth, 'La descente d'Orphée aux enfers'. In its two acts can be discerned the outline of a possible complete opera - the manuscript has reached us shorn of the third act in which Orpheus would presumably have lost Eurydice before being devoured by the Maenads. While 'La descente d'Orphée' has already been recorded several times, the 'Orphée' of 1684 is a rarity and a magnificent discovery. In these two roles that might have been written for him, Reinoud van Mechelen is at the peak of his artistry, while his ensemble A Nocte Temporis and Lionel Meunier's group Vox Luminis blend in perfect symbiosis.

1: Prélude
2: Récit D'Orphée, Violon Lentement
3: Effroyable Enfers, Où Je Conduis Mes Pas
4: Quelle Douce Harmonie a Frappé Mon Oreille?
5: Vos Plus Grands Criminels Rongés Par Des Vautours
6: Ne Cherchons Plus D'où Vient Cette Tendresse
7: Ouverture
8: Inventons Mille Jeux Divers
9: Compagnes Fidèles
10: Soutiens-moi, Chère Énone
11: Qu'ai-je Entendu? Que Vois-je?
12: Ah! Bergers C'en Est Fait
13: Entrée De Nymphes Et De Bergers Désespérés
14: Lâche Amant, Pourrais-tu Survivre
15: Ne Tourne Point, Mon Fils
16: Que D'un Frivole Espoir
17: Affreux Tourments, Gênes Cruelles
18: Cessez, Cessez Fameux Coupables
19: Quelle Touchante Voix
20: Je Ne Refuse Point Ce Secours
21: Il N'est Rien Aux Enfers
22: Entrée Des Fantômes
23: Que Cherche En Mon Palais Ce Mortel Téméraire?
24: Je Ne Vis Point Ici, Monarque Des Enfers
25: Pauvre Amant, Quel Coeur De Rocher
26: Eurydice N'est Plus, Et Mon Feu Dure Encore
27: Le Destin Est Contraire À Ce Que Tu Souhaites
28: Tu Ne La Perdras Point, Hélas, Pour Me La Rendre
29: Quel Charme Impérieux M'incite À La Tendresse?
30: Souviens Toi Du Larcin Que Tu Fis À Cérès
31: Je Cède, Je Me Rends, Aimable Prosperine
32: Vous Partez Donc, Orphée?

Composer: Marc-Antoine Charpentier

Conductor: Lionel Meunier

Number of Discs: 1

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