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Lully - Persée / Les Talens Lyriques, Rousset
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About Lully - Persée / Les Talens Lyriques, Rousset
Amazon.com This opera concerns Perseus, his love for Andromeda, and his killing of the snake-headed gorgon Medusa. Jean-Baptiste Lully clearly meant the heroic Perseus to stand for Louis XIV, who commissioned the work. Indeed, while Persee is not on stage all the time, he is the central character of this lengthy, ceremonial, beautifully scored work. Those who love the peculiar formalities of French Baroque opera will need no coaxing. For others, the lovely dance interludes, the grand gestures of Andromeda (who loves Persee but is promised to Phinee, a role gorgeously sung by Anna Maria Panzarella), the big choral sections, the fearless deeds of Persee (he battles a sea monster in Act IV), and the overall strength of this live, lively performance should win new fans. Yes, there's definitely the whiff of powdered wigs abounding, but the splendor of Lully's music--here conducted by the redoubtable Christophe Rousset leading Les Talens Lyriques--makes it all seem far more urgent. Recommended. --Robert Levine
