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Editorial Reviews
AllMusic.com, Stephen Eddins, August 2008
CPO follows its stellar releases of Conradi's Ariadne and Lully's Thésée by the Boston Early Music Festival with an equally extraordinary performance of Lully's Psyché. These are works that have had limited exposure and are known far better by reputation than by performances or recordings. What's revelatory about the recordings of the Lully operas is how exceptionally attractive the music is; it's amazing that works of this quality have been unheard for centuries, and their resurrection, particularly in performances as fine as these, is a cause for rejoicing for any opera lover eager to look beyond the standard repertoire. Lully's vocal writing, even his recitatives, is graceful and expressive, and the numerous ensembles in Psyché are marvels of charm and inventiveness. The variety and cleverness of his orchestration keeps the listener constantly engaged. Much credit goes to Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs, who lead the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra and Chorus, and to all the musicians who contributed to the realization of the score. The performances are elegant, but never stuffy, and they are bursting with energy and liveliness. It's remarkable to encounter a cast of such high quality and consistency; it's a real achievement for the directors to have assembled a cast of over 20 soloists who sing with beautifully pure, fresh, focused tone; the understanding and ability to master the idiom and complex system of middle Baroque French ornamentation and immaculate French pronunciation. They also bring strong, vivid characterizations to their roles, so the performance has real dramatic energy. CPO's sound is absolutely clean and beautifully balanced. Highly recommended.
Boston.com, Jeremy Eichler, December 2008
Jeremy Eichler's Top CD Picks of 2008: Lully's opera, the mainstage production at the Boston Early Music Festival in 2006, has been given a richly satisfying recording that captures much of the freshness and elegance of the live performances. The cast includes the sopranos Carolyn Sampson and Karina Gauvin, both in radiant voice.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
O'Dette & Stubbs strike gold once again.,
This review is from: Jean-Baptiste Lully: Psyché (Audio CD)
Just like they did with last year's Thesee, O'Dette, Stubbs and the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra & Chorus strike gold once more with Lully's PSYCHE. Though hardly as well known as some of Lully's later successes, it is, nevertheless, first rate Lully. And even though the cast is comprised largely of American and British (with a smattering of French-Canadian) singers, they, for the most part, imbue their singing with not only period sensibilities but also a Gallic refinement, with more than respectable French pronunciation. No doubt a native French speaker would disagree with me, but as someone who speaks the language, I found it an honorable effort on everyone's part. O'Dette and Stubbs direction is really fantastic, with an unerring attention to dynamics and phrasing. The music ebbs and flows with just the right amount of urgency and delicacy. The percussion and trumpets were appropriately regal and bold without overwhelming the woodwinds and strings. Carolyn Sampson is, not surprisingly, outstanding in the principal role of Psyche, but she is not, by any means, the only stellar singer here. My one complaint would have to be Jose Lemos's Silene. His countertenor voice is not the purest I've heard, with a distinct vibrato and somewhat "white" tone that I found to be a bit grating, though his tasteful musicality more than compensates for the lack of tonal vocal quality. This is really too minor a thing to even take into serious consideration. I mention it strictly in passing. If you love baroque opera, or more specifically French baroque opera, you will find little to gripe about here. I've already listened to it three times and could very easily listen to it just as many times again.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another performance with Stubbs and O'Dette worth getting,
By Zaida (Bremerton, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jean-Baptiste Lully: Psyché (Audio CD)
After the many disappointing recordings of Baroque and Classical operas by American groups, I had reservations about buying this, or the earlier recording of Thésée. Anyway, I went to a local record shop (Silver Platters, if you happen to be from Seattle), to look for this recording of Psyché. They were sold out, and I ended up getting Thésée instead. This was a year after that recording was released, and, as it turns out, I shouldn't have waited that long to get it, for my fears were in vain. Anyway, I bought this one not long after, and it is just as well performed. The only problem it has is the fact that as far as plot, it ranks near the bottom of Lully's output, for the libretto is a hash of certain parts by Corneille, some from Lully's earlier ballet by the same name, some by Lully's usual librettist, Quinault. Perhaps the best parts are the prologue and the Italian lament in the first act. But, like Isis, that other less than dramatic Lully opera (and the reason why this one doesn't have a libretto by Quinault), it has excellent music throughout, as you would expect from Lully.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a feast for gods and mortals too,
By
This review is from: Jean-Baptiste Lully: Psyché (Audio CD)
Psyché was not only the highlight of last year's Boston Early Music Festival but one of the highlights of Boston's year in music altogether. This was a very ambitious production with dozens of singers, dancers and musicians, with dozens more behind the scenes to produce an elaborate historically minded production. Although you mat be drawn to the star singers and music directors this recording demonstrates the highest level of musicianship from top to bottom. Karina Gauvin and Carolyn Sampson, the two star sopranos in question, certainly deliver in the lead roles but all the singers excel, and the chorus too.The orchestra, led by the lutenist team of Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs, along with Richard Mealy from the King's Noyse, is just fantastic. Lully's bright and festive music is given a detailed but never fussy or clinical treatment. The festival itself was called "A Feast of the Gods" and there is plenty for you mere mortals to feast on here. Fans of Lully and the French Baroque in general will know what to expect and explorers will be well rewarded. Very highly recommended, along with the other BEMF recordings.Johann Georg Conradi: AriadneLully - Thésée
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