L'Esprit français: Les Talens Lyriques in Auckland

By Simon Holden, 16 April 2016

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“one felt the spirit of dance infusing the work”

Reviewed at Auckland Town Hall: Great Hall, Auckland on 15 April 2016

Marais, Pièces de Trio: Suite no. 5

Forqueray, Pieces de viole avec la basse continue: Suite in D minor

Couperin, Les Nations: La Piémontaise

Leclair, Deuxième récréation de musiques d'une exécution facile, Op.8

Rameau, Pièces de clavecin en concert

Couperin, Grand trio sonata: Le Parnasse or The Apotheosis of Corelli

Christophe Rousset, Conductor, Harpsichord

Atsushi Sakai, Viola da Gamba

Gilone Gaubert-Jacques, Violin

Gabriel Grosbard, Violin

Teenage Mozart’s Mitridate a great success at La Scala

Laura Servidei, 18th May

Christophe Rousset leads Les Talens Lyriques and a stellar cast in a superb rendition of Mozart’s first opera seria.

*****

A forgotten meta-opera at La Scala: Gassmann’s L’opera seria

Laura Servidei, 29th March

Christophe Rousset leads a great cast and an even greater orchestra in Gassmann’s 1769 rarity in Laurent Pelly’s visually striking, but oddly subdued, take on a comedy that thrives on chaos.

***11

Fine Bach cantatas from Paul Figuier at the Festival d’Ambronay

David Karlin, 4th October

Young countertenor Figuier gives an accomplished vocal performance, sometimes overpowered by the energy of Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques. Oboist Gilles Vanssons steals the show.

***11

Jephtha: Handel's last English oratorio at the Halle Handel Festival

Sandra Bowdler, 30th May

Handel's last English oratorio Jephtha is beautifully performed by Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques in Halle, although the drama is a bit slow off the mark.

***11

Not quite a premiere, not quite a success: Salieri’s Kublai Khan

Chanda VanderHart, 7th April

Martin G Berger exhaustively reworks the story and the libretto of Salieri's Cublai, gran kan de' Tartari and throws the kitchen sink at this new production, but not everything lands well.

***11

Unhappy ever after: Gluck's Armide returns to Paris

David Karlin, 11th November

Excellent performances and stage direction make a good case for an opera that's on the slow side dramatically.

****1

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Simon Holden

Simon is an operaphile based in Auckland, New Zealand. He wrote his dissertation on Japanese popular music. With a background in piano and classical music retail, he spends his time attending as much opera or vocal concert as he can and blogs at irishenceaway.blogspot.com.