Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687)
Alceste, Tragédie lyrique in Prologue and 5 Acts (1674)
Alceste, Véronique Gens (soprano)
Alcide, Nathan Berg (baritone)
Admète, Cyril Auvity (tenor)
Lycomède, Charon, Un Homme désolé, Guilhem Worms (bass-baritone)
Choeur de l’Opéra Royal
Les Épopées/Stéphane Fuget
rec. 2024, Salle des Croisades du Château de Versailles, France
Château de Versailles Spectacles CVS149 [3 CDs: 180]

Lully was Louis XIV’s senior in age by six years. He had been involved in music at court since 1653 and eventually produced a huge corpus of fine works including thirty court ballets, twelve Grand Motets and fourteen Tragédies Lyriques. These operas began with Cadmus et Hermione in 1673 and was followed by the magnificent Alceste the following year. By then, Lully had been given the privilège of the Opéra – for which he actually paid a considerable stipend – meaning that he had an absolute monopoly on all music in Paris and its environs. He composed Alceste to a libretto by Philippe Quinault, having broken with previous collaborator Molière, who in any case had died in the February of 1673. There were wild attempts to sabotage its premiere at the Palais-Royal by the critics of Lully and Quinault, organised by a certain Racine. Nonetheless the opera was a major success, playing continuously to full houses in Paris for most of 1674, and was staged that Summer for the Sun King at Versailles; in the marble courtyard of the Château, illuminated from top-to-bottom.

Quinault bases his libretto on ancient Greek Euripides’ Alcestis. He strays far from the drama, however, introducing other characters and comic scenes. The three main roles are Alceste, a Greek Princess, Alcide, whom we would call Hercules, a divine hero, and Admetus, a king of another part of Greece. These three noble roles are shadowed by three more down-to-earth types: Alceste’s confidante Céphise is a cheeky minx who is adored by Straton and Lychas, who are the confidants of Admetus and Alcide. There are plenty more characters of all shapes and sizes and lots going on in the significant Prologue and 5 Acts. The chorus should be mentioned too; Lully has it up front throughout the work, commenting on events and playing an integral role in the opera, which was novel at the time and Lully’s compositional method was visionary.

In July 2017 Christophe Rousset went into the studios with his Les Talens Lyriques and the stunning chamber choir from Namur to record Alceste for Aparté (review ~ review). That record is an absolute stunner! Rousset has for years been supreme in this repertory and his Alceste is wonderful. He had Judith van Wanroij in her prime in the title role and a very young, strong cast; this record from CdV needed to be pretty good to displace that one.

This new Alceste was recorded in January 2024 in the wood and gilt panelled Salles des Croisades in Versailles. Barrel-shaped, with plenty of statues, paintings and chandeliers, its acoustic is outstanding. The chorus was specially recruited by CdV for these projects at Versailles and the orchestra is Les Épopées conducted by their founder and erstwhile Rousset student Stéphane Fuget. This combination have given us sacred music by Lully before as well as a highly interesting L’Orfeo.

The soprano part of Alceste is taken by the lovely Véronique Gens. She has sung this before; you can hear a live performance she gave in Paris in 2006 on YouTube. Her performance here is a considered one and she rises to the role’s demands majestically. The role of Alcide is for basse-taille, which we would now call baritone. It is taken in this new recording by Nathan Berg. He would be in his mid-50s now and so of a similar age to Gens. In the high tenor (haute-contre) role of Admetus we hear Cyril Auvity. Other parts are cast strongly and the singers sing multiple roles. For instance, bass-baritone Guilhem Worms takes on the dastardly King Lycomedes, the hilarious Charon and a mourner at Alceste’s funeral.

Stéphane Fuget has certainly done his research and the performance is fully prepared in all aspects. In the comprehensive notes to the set, he discusses the instruments he uses and his deployment of choruses in the myriad of scenes that pass by. In recitative and airs (Lully uses this term for instrumental episodes not arias as we would know them), Fuget has a petit chœur of clavicle and around eight players. For the choirs, dances and big scenes he employs the full forces of the grand chœur: over twenty strings, big wind section, trumpets and plenty of percussion. There is also the usual bass continuo which Lully doesn’t annotate, so it is improvised.

The prologue is not part of the story proper. In 27 minutes we are introduced to three nymphs of various Parisian suburbs: one resides in the Seine, one in the Marne and the other in the Tuileries. These river Divinities meet Glory who tells them the hero they pine for will soon return to them. It’s all very silly but delectable at the same time. In the airs and dances we hear the uniquely alive sound Les Épopées bring to the music. The reed instruments, oboes and bassoons chiefly, are amazingly vivid and characterful . They also use a musette which is a French bagpipe. The bass continuo is more elaborate and plays a more decorated line than on the Rousset recording. Percussion, such as cymbals, triangles and tambourine, is used liberally, too – a bit too much, actually: sometimes it all sounds a little too twangy.

Act 1 is 31 minutes long and in three parts. It is the wedding day of Alceste and Admetus. First, we meet Straton and Lychas, rivals for Céphise, who I think secretly relishes the attention. There is then a fête marine, a typical Lully divertissement. Finally, Lycomedes abducts Alceste (and by association Céphise) on his ship. He is pursued by hero Alcide and the less heroic but genuinely loved-up spouse Admetus. At first the sea Goddess doesn’t want them to go after Alceste and conjures up the Boreal winds. Another God overrides her, however (Alcide is kind-of family remember), and calm Zephyr breezes take the place of the tempest – perfect for a sea chase. Apart from some underwhelming and puny wind effects it is all very well done. Rhythms are crisp but nothing is rushed. Both Juliette Mey and Geoffroy Buffière give a great account of their cameos as the wind generating Gods. They demonstrate the depth and strength of the singing on this set.

Act 2 features the battle between the opposing sides of Admetus/Alcide versus Lycomede with a little wooing beforehand from some of our protagonists. In the fight, Admetus is wounded. He must die unless someone will sacrifice themselves in his place. The Céphise of Camille Poul is a really impressive portrayal, fresh of voice with excellent diction. The duet with the Straton of Geoffroy Buffière is wonderful and hard on its heels follows another between Gens’ pure Alceste and the very French masculine tones of Guilhem Worms as Lycomedes. The martial world of the battlefield is graphically introduced by a march that positively buzzes in its vivacity. Trumpets and timpani resound with the full orchestra. It is infectiously good. At the Palais-Royal Lully had just fitted all manner of new sets and machines and by all accounts this scene was magnificent. The chorus here are especially good: “Courage, courage, Ils sont à nous, ils sont à nous!”.

Phérès, Admetus’ father, laments his ineptitude in the fight. Although the spirit is willing, he is 80 now and can no longer keep up. Léo Vermot-Desroches lays it all on a bit too thickly for me, but we certainly feel his struggle. Later, when everyone is wondering who will be the one to give themselves up for Admetus, he steadfastly refuses to do so, despite his advanced years and the fact it is his own son.

The scene between Admetus and Alceste at the end of the act is touching. Auvity is sensitive and sure with a languorous timbre but it is Gens who shines. Her voice, fully under control and idyllic with a gorgeous flicker of vibrato.

Act 3 lasts 39 minutes. It is the finest span of music in the work and some of Lully’s best in his whole output. Alceste dies so Admetus might live. Auvity expresses his anguish memorably when he sees her face on the altar that has been erected to honour the generous soul. Lully goes to town with the solemn funeral rites that then take place (starting at CD2: track 17). The music is innovative and ahead of its time. It is a very different sound to that which Rousset created on his record for Aparté: more ceremonial and outdoors, more tragic and all-embracing in its intensity. I think Fuget uses a fuller, more expanded version of the great scene, too.

From this moment we really see the character of Alcide become dominant. He decides to descend to the underworld to retrieve Alceste. Admetus agrees; should Alcide win her back he will consent to giving him, her hand as reward. Nathan Berg as Alcide convinces us, he fears little and this will be as nothing for him.

Act 4 is the shortest at 23 minutes. We hear Charon’s brilliant scene at the river Acheron, another splendid divertissement and the extremely civil and well-mannered scene between Alcide and Pluto where the transaction is made swiftly and with impeccable manners and style. Pluto even lends Alcide and the newly invigorated Alceste his chariot for a luxury trip back to the land of the living. In truth, on first seeing Alcide, Pluto did set Cerberus, the multi-headed hound of Hades on him. Alcide soon makes light work of him though! 

Act 5 at 28 minutes resolves all. The noble Alcide sees the true love of Alceste for Admetus and does not press his rightful claim. He blesses their happy union and goes on to glory elsewhere. The rustics are reconciled too finally, never to marry and to love more lightly.

The opera after its maiden year was revived continually right up to the mid-1750s. Gluck composed his version in 1767, almost a century later. Lully knew his audience well; he knew they loved to dance, to laugh and to cry. He was a master at giving them what they wanted and in Alceste he created a masterpiece of its form. I loved hearing this version from the wonderful CdV label. It is an inspired account, passionate and heartfelt; I can’t believe they didn’t break those tambourines in Act 4. Certain idiosyncrasies and stresses in the performance might jar on repeated hearings, but I hope not. The safe bet would probably be to invest in the Rousset version if you can only have one Alceste. I am not going to reveal my final preference of the two, but I will say that I believe we are living in a golden age of recorded music and feel privileged to be able to immerse myself in it. I urge you to do the same.

Philip Harrison

Other cast
La Nymphe des Tuileries, Céphise, Camille Poul (soprano)
Lychas, Phérès, Alecton, Apollon, Léo Vermot-Desroches (tenor)
Cléante, Straton, Pluton, Éole, Geoffroy Buffière (bass)
La Gloire, Une Femme affligée, Claire Lefilliâtre (soprano)
La Nymphe de la Marne, Proserpine, Diane, Thétis, Juliette Mey (mezzo-soprano)
La Nymphe de la Seine, Une Nymphe, Une Ombre, Cécile Achille (soprano)

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