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Carmen - L'Arlésienne

Marc Minkowski

Classical - Released March 17, 2008 | naïve classique

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Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Céphale et Procris

Reinoud Van Mechelen

Classical - Released February 9, 2024 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Psyché

Christophe Rousset

Classical - Released January 13, 2023 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Bizet: Carmen, WD 31

Herbert von Karajan

Classical - Released January 1, 1964 | Sony Classical

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Bizet: Carmen, WD 31 (Live)

Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra

Opera - Released October 12, 2018 | Orfeo

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Maurice Yvain: Yes!

Les Frivolités Parisiennes

Classical - Released March 22, 2024 | Alpha Classics

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Bizet: Carmen Suites Nos. 1 & 2 - Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2

Leonard Bernstein

Classical - Released December 22, 2017 | Sony Classical

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Cadmus & Hermione

Vincent Dumestre

Classical - Released May 1, 2021 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Jean-Baptiste Lully's Cadmus & Hermione of 1673 was arguably the first true French opera, telling a tragic story (Lully and his librettist Philippe Quinault called it a tragédie en lyrique), employing Italian-style recitatives, and collecting the varied music and dance forms of Louis XIV's opulent court into a coherent narrative that at once celebrated Louis (he is conflated with Cadmus of Thebes) and moved beyond the ceremonial nature of earlier French dramatic music. It's a sprawling work, with five acts, an overture, and a sizable Prologue with its own overture; highlights include a dragon that eats Africans, a monster snake, and a full complement of Greek gods and goddesses. Realization of the work has, until now, been beyond the means of early music performance groups, and this is the world premiere recording of the opera, made in 2019 and based on a 2008 performance at Versailles Palace by some of the same performers. The leader is Vincent Dumestre, conducting the Le Poème Harmonique orchestra and the vocal ensembles Aedes. The forces are large enough to capture the splendor of the music (thankfully, no one-voice-per-part techniques here), and Dumestre is alert to the huge variety of musical devices Lully brings to bear on his story; there are dances, big choruses, bagpipes, and much more. Cadmus & Hermione may be a difficult work to bring to life for modern audiences, but Dumestre keeps things moving along and probably comes as close as anyone could. Of course, anyone interested in the life of the French court in the 17th century will find this an essential acquisition that will keep giving and giving. © TiVo
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Lully: Acis et Galatée, LWV 73

Jean-François Lombard

Opera - Released October 13, 2023 | Naxos

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Bizet: Suites from L'Arlésienne & Carmen

Herbert von Karajan

Classical - Released April 12, 2019 | Warner Classics

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Bizet: Symphony in C Major - Carmen Suite No. 1 - L'Arlésienne Suites Nos. 1 & 2

Georges Bizet

Classical - Released September 1, 2016 | Danacord Records

In the concert hall, Georges Bizet's fame rests primarily on orchestral excerpts from his opera Carmen, the incidental music to the play L'Arlésienne, the youthful Symphony in C major, and a handful of other orchestral pieces. For this 2017 Danacord release, Marc Soustrot leads the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra in performances of the Carmen Suite No. 1, which was assembled by Bizet's friend Ernest Guiraud, the two suites from L'Arlésienne (Suite No. 1 arranged by Bizet, Suite No. 2 compiled by Guiraud), and the Symphony, a student work from 1855 that was rediscovered in 1933. All of these works are quite popular and they have been recorded many times, so as fine as Soustrot's interpretations are, they face plenty of competition in the marketplace. However, the pieces are highly melodic and enjoyable for their colorful orchestration, and the Aarhus Symphony's performances are polished and energetic, so while there are no surprises in this program, this is a delightful CD to add to any collection.© TiVo
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Atys

Christophe Rousset

Opera - Released January 5, 2024 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Backed by the Sun King despite a lukewarm audience reception at first, Lully's Atys (1676) went on to become one of the composer's most successful operas, with revivals at French court theaters as late as 1753. In modern times, however, it is a considerably rarer item due to the massive forces and time required. Christophe Rousset was in the pit as harpsichordist when conductor William Christie gave the first modern revival of the work in the late '80s. That experience marks this 2024 release, which made classical best-seller lists at the beginning of that year. That is not common for a hefty five-act Baroque opera, but even a bit of sampling will confirm why it happened: Rousset, from the keyboard, brings tremendous energy to the opera. He pushes the tempo in the numerous dances and entrance numbers, and the musicians of Les Talens Lyriques and the singers of the Choeur du Chambre de Namur, all of whom have worked closely with Rousset in the past, keep right up. The singers in the solo roles are all fine; haut-contre Reinoud Van Mechelen in the title role and Ambroisine Bré as the goddess Cybèle, who sets the tragic plot in motion, are standouts. The sound from the increasingly engineering-expert Château de Versailles label is exceptionally clear in complex textures, and the sensuous cover art (representing, it is true, not the Roman mythological figure of Atys but Hippomène and Atalante) is a bonus. In the end, this is Rousset's Atys, and that is a very good thing.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Schubert: Lieder with Orchestra

Munich Radio Orchestra

Classical - Released October 6, 2023 | BR-Klassik

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One might react to this album with initial annoyance and ask whether it is really necessary to hear orchestrated versions of Schubert's supremely pianistic songs. It may come as a surprise, then, to find that most of these Lieder with Orchestra were arranged by great composers. They include Benjamin Britten, Jacques Offenbach, and Max Reger, who took on the job because, he said, he hated to hear a piano-accompanied song on an orchestral program. Perhaps the most surprising name to find is that of Anton Webern, but his arrangements are not the minimal, pointillistic things one might expect; he wrote these arrangements as a way of studying Schubert's music, and they are quite straightforward. Indeed, it is somewhat difficult to distinguish the arrangers simply by listening to the music; Schubert's melodic lines tend to suggest distinctive solutions. Perhaps Reger's are a bit more lush than the others, although his version of Erlkönig, D. 328, is one of the few numbers here that just doesn't work (there is no way to replicate the percussive quality of the accompaniment). As for the performances as such, Benjamin Appl is clearly an important rising baritone, and he has a wonderful natural quality in Schubert. An oddball release like this might seem an unusual choice for a singer in early career, but he contributes his own notes, and he seems to have undertaken the project out of genuine enthusiasm for the material. At the very least, he has brought some intriguing pieces out of the archives and given them highly listenable performances. The Munich Radio Orchestra, under the young Oscar Jockel, is suitably restrained and keeps out of Appl's way. This release made classical best-seller lists in the autumn of 2023.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Écho & Narcisse

Hervé Niquet

Classical - Released August 25, 2023 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Machaut: The Fount of Grace

Orlando Consort

Classical - Released July 7, 2023 | Hyperion

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The Complete Warner Recordings 1972 -1980

Itzhak Perlman

Classical - Released September 25, 2015 | Warner Classics

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Debussy: Piano Works

Walter Gieseking

Classical - Released October 10, 1996 | Warner Classics

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Satie: Gymnopedies

Denis Pascal

Classical - Released December 2, 2022 | La Musica

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Gloire Immortelle !

Hervé Niquet

Classical - Released November 17, 2023 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Bizet : Roma & Other Orchestral Works (HD 24/96.00)

Jean-Luc Tingaud

Classical - Released March 3, 2015 | Naxos

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions 5 de Diapason
Apart from the opera Carmen, the Symphony in C major, and the suites of incidental music for the play L'Arlésienne, the music of Georges Bizet tends toward the obscure, despite its great tunefulness and obvious technical competence. For this CD, Jean-Luc Tingaud and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra present two of the more significant minor works, the Roma Symphony and the Petite Suite, along with several shorter pieces that are infrequently played. The Overture in A major and the Marche funèbre in B minor are neglected because they are early works, though they are no worse than many French orchestral pieces of the time, and Bizet's knack for writing memorable melodies lifts them above mediocrity. The jaunty Patrie Overture has had a better track record with modern audiences and is often encountered as filler on recordings and on pops concerts. An orchestral version of five piano pieces from the collection Jeux d'enfants, the Petite Suite is usually paired on recordings with the Symphony in C major because of its similar lightheartedness. In the end, Roma is the most substantial work offered here, and Bizet's flair for dramatic scene painting and dark passions is on full display, anticipating the volatile atmosphere of Carmen. The performances of all the selections are first-rate, and this album is recommended for anyone who is curious about Bizet's less familiar music.© TiVo