Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801)
L’olimpiade(1784)
Clistene: Josh Lovell (tenor)
Aristea: Rocío Pérez (soprano)
Licida: Mathilde Ortscheidt (mezzo)
Megacle: Maite Beaumont (mezzo)
Argene: Marie Lys (soprano)
Aminta: Alex Banfield (tenor)
Les Talens Lyriques/Christophe Rousset
rec. 2023, La salle Colonne, Paris, France
Booklet with Italian libretto and English, French & German translations
Château de Versailles CVS143 [2 CDs: 145]
This new release from the Château de Versailles company marks the premier recording of Domenico Cimarosa’s opera which was composed for the 1784 inauguration of the Teatro Eriteneo in Vicenza, a 1200 seat opera house that was sadly destroyed by allied bombing during WWII. (Note: the CD booklet consistently misspells the name of the opera house as Teatro Eriteo). Cimarosa was given the commission to compose the opera after another composer, Giovanni Battista Borghi, was forced to resign from the project because of ill health. In the event both the opera and the opera house were a triumph with the Vicenzini. Cimarosa’s opera went on to be performed throughout Europe with its last known production occurring in 1806 for Turin. For the subject of the opera Borghi had chosen an old libretto by Metastasio which had served countless composers since Antonio Caldara had first set it to music in 1733. There are more than 50 works that use the same basic libretto, of which Antonio Vivaldi’s 1734 opera is the best known version today. The subject of lover’s difficulties set amid the backdrop of the ancient Olympic games is a colourful one, and the occasion of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games seemed to be perfect timing for the debut of this new recording.
Cimarosa’s music is simply delightful; he fills the score with a plethora of arias, mostly in the rondo form that was gradually taking over from the traditional Da Capo format during the 1770s. In Christophe Rousset and les Talens Lyriques, Cimarosa’s score benefits from their close attention to dynamics and the highly energized esprit with which they perform. The catchy Overture races by in a rush of excitement that one might expect from an opera concerned with Olympic races. Rousset and his players are in top form throughout, making this one of the best releases from this label that I have yet encountered.
The casting brings forth a particularly polished group of young singers who shine both individually and as a group. I approve the choice to have a soprano sing the role of Megacle. Maite Beaumont’s slightly too feminine sound is nevertheless amply justified by the poise and style with which she dispatches her coloratura and the conviction she displays throughout. The recent tendency to have countertenors take on roles that were written for the highest castrati voices has never been all that successful. Beaumont’s singing here is nearly the equal of Angela Maria Blasi’s tour-de-force assumption of Aminta in Neville Marriner’s Philips recording of Mozart’s Il Re Pastore, which has served as the best example I know of in casting the difficult soprano castrati parts.
Her equal on every level is Josh Lovell’s authoritative performance of Clistene. Mr Lovell, who hails from Victoria British Columbia, is the real thing; a tenore di grazia, one who has an admirably full throated tone. He demonstrates impressive singing technique and beguiles the listener throughout the opera. I eagerly look forward to hearing more from this tenor.
Rocío Pérez is the principal female love interest as Aristea. She shows herself to be a fine new lyric coloratura with an agreeably pure sounding tone. She vaults through her opening aria with an all-out abandon that is quite infectious and demonstrates a rather impressive ability with trills.
Marie Lys is a soprano who seems to get better every time I encounter her. As Argene she sings sweetly, with poise and shows off a warm and sensual lower register that adds to her portrayal. Mathilde Ortscheidt makes an excellent Licida. She possesses a pleasingly astringent mezzo that sounds at times remarkably like a counter-tenor. There is really not a single weak link in this cast. Chateau de Versailles has released a recording that for once was not recorded on their premises. The excellent Paris studio that has been used gives the sound greater presence and more acoustic space than any of the recordings made in the visually impressive, but acoustically very dry sound of the Opéra Royal in Versailles.
This splendid new release is a winner on every front, and I have absolutely no doubt that it will be one of my selections for Recording of the Year for 2024.
Mike Parr
Previous review: Göran Forsling (July 2024)
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