Charpentier: La descente d'Orphée aux enfers, H. 488 Cyril Auvity, Ensemble Desmarest & Ronan Khalil 

• Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643 - 1704): La descente d'Orphée aux enfers, H. 488:
• 1 Overture 03:02
• Act I:
• 2 Inventons mille jeux divers 02:17
• 3 Ruisseau qui dans ce beau séjour 02:43
• 4 Compagnes fidèles 02:28
• 5 Qu'il se croira fortuné 01:10
• 6 Soutiens moi, chère Œnone - Qu'ai-je entendu, que vois-je? 01:23
• 7 Ah! Bergers, c'en est fait 03:22
• 8 Entrée de nymphes et de bergers désespérés 01:32
• 9 Lâche amant 00:42
• 10 Ne tourne point, mon fils 02:19
• 11 Que d'un frivole espoir - Juste sujet de pleurs 03:25
• Act II:
• 12 Prélude - Affreux tourments 01:44
• 13 Prélude - Cessez, fameux coupables 02:23
• 14 Quelle touchante voix 02:03
• 15 Je ne refuse point le secours - Il n'est rien aux enfers 02:42
• 16 Entrée de fantômes 00:57
• 17 Prélude - Que cherche en mon palais 00:59
• 18 Je ne viens point ici - Pauvre amant 04:26
• 19 Euridice n'est plus 02:53
• 20 Le destin est contraire - Ah! Puisqu'avant le temps 01:33
• 21 Tu ne la perdras point, hélas! 02:32
• 22 Quel charme impérieux - Courage Orphée 01:32
• 23 Souviens-toi du larcin 03:55
• 24 Je cède, je me rends - Amour, brûlant amour 02:19
• 25 Vous partez donc, Orphée 06:13
• Total Runtime 01:00:34

Info for Charpentier: La descente d'Orphée aux enfers, H. 488

Cyril Auvity heads the cast in a new recording of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux enfers in a production being released by Glossa. Auvity is the lovelorn Orpheus who ventures, with his lyre, into the Underworld to plead with Pluto (Etienne Bazola) for the return of his Eurydice (Céline Scheen), struck down in her prime by a snakebite, being encouraged in his efforts by Proserpine, the wife of the ruler of Hades (Floriane Hasler).

This is a two-act chamber opera, written in 1686, and it is not known whether Charpentier ever composed any more music for the piece (the drama stops at a tantalizing moment in the well-known story). Even still, the composer appears to have invested substantial inspiration into the work, which will have been performed in front of the composer’s patron, Mademoiselle de Guise by a group of singers working within the limitations imposed by Jean- Baptiste Lully’s “musical monopoly” of the time.

For this recording, keyboard-player Ronan Khalil directs his Ensemble Desmarest. The demanding lead role of this entertainment continues Auvity’s strong current presence in French Baroque music-making – as well as his connection with Glossa. His Orpheus follows his previous Charpentier Stances du Cid release on the label, as well as appearances in operas by Campra, Destouches and Lully. Marc Trautmann both informs and entertains in his accompanying booklet essay.

Cyril Auvity, Orphée
Céline Scheen, Eurydice
Etienne Bazola, Pluton
Floriane Hasler, Proserpine
Maïlys de Villoutreys, Daphné
Virgile Ancely, Apollon & Titye
Jeanne Crousaud, Œnone
Dagmar Saskova, Aréthuze
Kevin Skelton, Ixion
Guillaume Gutierrez, Tantale
François-Nicolas Geslot, tenor (high)
David Witczak, bass
Ensemble Desmarest
Ronan Khalil, direction

No biography found.

Booklet for Charpentier: La descente d'Orphée aux enfers, H. 488