Lully: Thesee, Les Talens Lyriques, CD

With Thésée, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques continue their tour of Lully's operas, in which they have become specialists. Lully's third musical tragedy, and one of the least recorded, Thésée recounts the hero's youth, long before his battle with the Minotaur or his intrigues with Ariadne and Phèdre. The story takes the listener on a journey through a series of changing settings - from the underworld to the island of paradise, from Versailles to Athens - supported by the incredible vocal eloquence of Lully's music, underpinned by a constant and hitherto unrivalled tension. At the center of the drama, Karine Deshayes sings a flamboyant Médée, a pugnacious and tragic figure, guiding the listener through the most enraged opera in Lully's catalogue. Matthias Vidal and Deborah Cachet portray a most poignant Thésée/Eglé, giving the duets all their dramatic power. Médée's emblematic aria ("Dépit mortel, transport jaloux") alone captures the movement and wizardry that run through the entire work - one of the most captivating achievements of the Sun King's surintendant.