Charpentier: La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers [Import]

Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Composer), William Christie (Conductor), Les Arts Florissants (Orchestra), Patricia Petibon (Performer), Monique Zanetti (Performer), Katalin Károlyi (Performer), Sophie Daneman (Performer), Paul Agnew (Performer), Jean-François Gardeil (Performer), Steve Dugardin (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Patricia Petibon, Monique Zanetti, Katalin Károlyi, Sophie Daneman, Paul Agnew, et al.
• Orchestra: Les Arts Florissants
• Conductor: William Christie
• Composer: Marc-Antoine Charpentier
• Audio CD (August 18, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Classics UK
• ASIN: B000005E3R
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,139 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #22 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > C to G

Track Listings

1. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Overture

2. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 1 - Scene 1 - Inventions mille jeux divers

3. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 1 - Scene 1 - Compagnes fideles

4. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 1 - Scene 1 - Soutiens-moi, chere Enone

5. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 1 - Scene 2 - Ah! Bergers, c'en est fait

6. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 1 - Scene 2 - Entree Of Despairing Young Nymphs And Sheperds

7. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 1 - Scene 3 - Ne tourne point, mon fils

8. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 1 - Scene 3 - Que d'un frivole espoir

9. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 1 - Prelude

10. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 2 - Prelude

11. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 2 - Je ne refuse point le secours

12. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 2 - Les Fantomes

13. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 3 - Prelude

14. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 3 - Je ne viens point ici

15. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 3 - Euridice n'est plus

16. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 3 - Tu ne la perdras point, helas

17. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 3 - Souviens-toi du larcin

18. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 3 - Je cede, je me rends

19. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 4 - Vous partez donc, Orphee

20. La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers: Act 2 - Scene 4 - Entree of Shades

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The myth of Orpheus--the divine musician who went to Hades to rescue his bride Eurydice from the dead and whose song actually persuaded Pluto to release her--has been irresistible to operatic composers from Monteverdi to Offenbach. One of the happiest rediscoveries of the Baroque revival is this lovely one-act chamber opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, which combines the gentle lilt typical of French Baroque music with the beautiful melodies and delicious suspensions in which Charpentier excelled. Charpentier diverged from the myth in one important respect: he omitted the tragic ending in which Orpheus loses Eurydice a second time, instead allowing the couple to live happily ever after. Orpheus is sung by Baroque tenor extraordinaire Paul Agnew, whose pure, sweet, and flexible singing would convince Pluto to release the dead from Hell if anyone's could. Sophie Daneman, Monique Zanetti, Patricia Petibon, and Jean-François Gardeil head a cast without a single weak link; the instrumentalists of Les Arts Florissants are as skillful and sensitive as always. If you want to sample French Baroque opera at its best without investing in a three- or four-disc set, you can do no better than this. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even unfinished, it's a masterpiece, July 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charpentier: La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers (Audio CD)

Some people in London (read the review below) apparently think that unfinished masterpieces of French baroque are not even worth performing. Well, I'm a diehard Charpentier fan who doesn't think so. Charpentier has a special musical language, unique even among other French composers of the period, and far superior to most other baroque composers who've filled the pages with their endless and boring da capo arias and barren recitatives. There is no such thing as a regular recitative and a regular aria when it comes to Charpentier: his music is through-composed and stylistically taut. Thanks to Lully, Charpentier's music never got much credit during the composer's lifetime, and, by inertia, ever since. Thanks to Christie, Charpentier's music is now being restored to its rightful position of glory. I'd tell that guy in London (see below) that Charpentier is better than a hundred Clerambaults. It is hard to imagine a more persuasive case for Charpentier than this fabulous recording. Paul Agnew's performance of Orphee is priceless.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charpentier Christie, October 1, 2010

By 

Mark A. Rike (New Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charpentier: La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers (Audio CD)

How amazing is it that the most powerful interpreter of the French baroque is an American?! His recording of Charpentier's La descente d'Orphee aux enfers is simply one of the most beautifully made CD's in the catalog. How unfortunate for the Amazon.com rating system that some complete idiot gave this recording only 3 stars!!! Whoever he/she is doesn't understand the system and it should be removed. They fault the recording for the fact that Charpentier in (about) 1686 did not finish the piece!!!! That has NOTHING to do with what the fabulous team assembled by Mr. Christie accomplished with this recording. AS a professional violinist (and baroque violinist at that), I just feel that I have something to add to this system. Mark Rike

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A BEAUTY!, February 19, 2011

By 

Simon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charpentier: La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers (Audio CD)

I don't agree with the attitude that the opera has a happy end and not with the suspicion that the last part is lost.
After all, the classics were the bread and the butter of the education at that time, and it's not a wild guess to suppose that every french who had access to this music at that time, knew quite well the story of Orpheus and Euridyce.
So i believe that at the end of the opera the audience knew what next.

This opera is quite different from those unbearable and boring operas from, let's say, 1750-2011, especially because it's simply a great piece of music, no matter the genre, and also... because it's not 3 or 4 hours long.

The performance is superb in every respect: the great Christie and his orchestra,
and the excellent role of Orpheus performed by Paul Agnew. If i was Plouton, i would not let him return to the earth!

The recording is good and quite balanced.

A MUST!