Lully - Alceste [Box set, Import, Original recording reissued]

Jean-Baptiste Lully (Composer), Jean-Claude Malgoire (Conductor), La Grande Ecurie et La Chambre du Roy (Orchestra), Jean-Philippe Lafont (Performer), Colette Alliot-Lugaz (Performer), Howard Crook (Performer), Veronique Gens (Performer), Francois Loup . Jean-Francois Gardeil (Performer), Gregory Reinhart . Olivier Lallouette (Performer), Gille Ragon . Sophie-Marin Degor (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jean-Philippe Lafont, Colette Alliot-Lugaz, Howard Crook, Veronique Gens, Francois Loup . Jean-Francois Gardeil, et al.
• Orchestra: La Grande Ecurie et La Chambre du Roy
• Conductor: Jean-Claude Malgoire
• Composer: Jean-Baptiste Lully
• Audio CD (December 15, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set, Import, Original recording reissued
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Astree
• ASIN: B00008EQNT
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,867 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lully: Alceste is a landmark in the history of French Opera, June 7, 2007

By 

Anthony H. Conroy (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lully - Alceste (Audio CD)

It would seem that this set is very hard to find as Astree Auvidis discontinued this back in the mid 90's, and to date (June 07) there does not seem to be an alternative complete recording.
For Jean-Claude Malgoire this version was his second having previously done a 3 disc Vinyl LP version back in 1975 on CBS 79301 also with the Grande Ecurie et La Chambre du Roy
but not with the same cast as the later version. I felt the treatment of the newer CD version was slightly faster and missing were the part where the Children sang the small chorus in the LP version.Having said that i was not unhappy and modern advances in recording have breathed new life into this seldom heard Opera.
It was ironic that i posted a "Want it" on the net and managed to obtain it from a private collector in the USA after looking at all the Amazon sites for months.
The LP version also hard to find may be easier if you do the homework
This Opera is both musical and dramatic and mostly due to the variety of scoring. The blending of the different genres was unique at the time. Get it if you can,wonderful stuff!