Customer Reviews

Rebel & Francoeur: Zélindor, roi des Sylphes . Suite from 'Le Trophée'

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For Baroque opera lovers, this recording is a must, first because of the rarity: I don't think it had ever been recorded before, second because the singers and the orchestra are great at reviving this masterpiece of Royal entertainment.
Back in the day of Baroque operas the opera house itself was a salon and all classes participated. People went to see and be seen, it was their meeting place as much as it was a place to hear singers and music. This is evident in some passages of "Zelindor" which were obviously intended as BACKGROUND music as then people talked, gambled, wrote and delivered love notes and fluttered from box to box during the performance. This may sound disruptive to us, but it was a way of life at a time when the lights could not be "turned off" for the performance and the public enjoyed it much more than our strict regulations in the theater.

Those who only think of opera as "grand" will probably not find this disc to their taste. Other folks, whose feet tap at the elegant dances of the royal court, will certainly enjoy it. The effect is made here not by the huge crescendo and the high C, but by elegant phrasing, ornaments, and instrumental effects. There's not much plot to "Zélindor" (given complete)--god loves mortal, who loves him anyway--and it's just an excuse for the dances. Jean-Paul Fouchécourt is the ultimate "tenore di grazia," his every phrase stylish and easy. Though she sings well enough, Heidi Grant Murphy seems almost earth-bound by comparison. "Le Trophée" is reduced to a suite of dance selections, with only two arias. Very nice work from the period instruments, guided by Ryan Brown; texts and translations. Do indulge.