Search - Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Jill Feldman, Jacques Bona :: Charpentier: Médée / Christie, Les Arts Florissants

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Jill Feldman, Jacques Bona
Charpentier: Médée / Christie, Les Arts Florissants
Genre: Classical

CD Details

All Artists: Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Jill Feldman, Jacques Bona, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, Agnès Mellon, Gilles Ragon, Philippe Cantor, Sophie Boulin, François Fuaché
Title: Charpentier: Médée / Christie, Les Arts Florissants
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
Release Date: 9/1/1993
Genre: Classical
Styles: Opera & Classical Vocal, Historical Periods, Baroque (c.1600-1750)
Number of Discs: 3
SwapaCD Credits: 3
UPC: 093046113926

Synopsis

Amazon.com

As William Christie and Les Arts Florissants demonstrated with this release, Médée is arguably the finest opera of the entire French Baroque. This was its first recording and was considered a fine account until Christie rerecorded for Erato with a stellar cast headed by "La Divina" Lorraine Hunt. Still, Christie has said he remains proud of this release, and French Baroque collectors should have it, especially for the gorgeous singing of Agnès Mellon as Jason's "other woman," the unfortunate princess Créuse. --Matthew Westphal

CD Reviews

Still very good

04/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got curious and bought this recording, just to compare it with Christie's 1995 version of Medee. Well, the first version turned out to be really good too. It won a Gramophone Best Early Opera award when it was first released in 1982, and I can see how it deserved such a major award. The female leads are admirable in both recordings, with the scale tipping slightly in Lorraine Hunt's favor. It's Jason that made all the difference between the two recordings. Gilles Ragon was not a bad Jason, but he can't stand any comparison with the truly extraordinary haute-contre Mark Padmore in the 1995 recording. It's the difference between good and exceptional."