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Track(s) taken from CDA68035

La lyre enchantée

composer
divertissement derived from Act 2 Scenes 3, 5 & 6 of Les surprises de l'Amour; 1748, revised 1757
author of text

Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Ex Cathedra, Jeffrey Skidmore (conductor)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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Recording details: June 2013
All Hallows, Gospel Oak, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: June 2014
Total duration: 12 minutes 51 seconds

Cover artwork: Portrait of Marie Fel (1757) by Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704-1888)
Musée Antoine Lecuyer, Saint-Quentin / Giraudon / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘This is a brilliantly planned and executed, musically illustrated biography of Marie Fel, one of the great 18th-century divas and muse of Rameau, admired by the Philosophes and adored by Paris audiences … this is a programme that pleases as much today as it did in hers, guided by Graham Sadler’s beautifully crafted booklet-notes … Carolyn Sampson, in superb form, is joined here by the choir of Ex Cathedra, who sing with precision and clarity of articulation in a lovely bright acoustic … the longer we listen to Sampson’s voice, the more she seems to inhabit the aura of Fel, clearly a skilled and charismatic yet deeply affecting performer’ (Gramophone)

‘The shortlisted finalists for this year's Recital Award typify this trend, and best of the distinguished crop is Jeffrey Skidmore and Carolyn Sampson's exposition of the career of Marie Fel’ (Gramophone)

‘This extremely well researched recording is captivating. Based on repertoire performed by Marie Fel, the ‘Jenny Lind’ of the court of Louis XV, it ranges from the restrained elegance of de Lalande to the Italianate excitement of Mondonville … in standing in for Fel, Carolyn Sampson is quite remarkable. She has the capacity to soften the vocal line with carefully controlled vibrato, but also deploys tone of crystalline clarity. There are many highlights, but the characteristically colourful excerpt from Mondonville's Daphnis et Alcimadure is particularly delightful as is Rameau’s La lyre enchantée’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING

‘Celebrating the work of a singer described by Voltaire as an ‘adorable nightingale’ is a terrific idea for a recording, especially when it has been prepared with such care and performed so stylishly … from the start, it’s clear that Carolyn Sampson is an ideal exponent, stylishly supported by Ex Cathedra and its period-instrument orchestra … this is a lovely disc, a most attractive programme supported by Graham Sadler’s illuminating and extremely interesting note (in a booklet that also includes complete texts and translations). The sound is up to Hyperion’s usual standard, capturing Sampson’s voice extremely well, in a natural balance. The whole production has provided me with hours of pleasure’ (International Record Review)» More

‘Marie Fel was the diva of her day and the darling of the French baroque. In this exquisite release from soprano Carolyn Sampson and Ex Cathedra, Sampson steps into Fel's dainty silk slippers and guides us through a life in music … Sampson’s rounded tone and poised musicality find a natural fit in this repertoire, showcased beautifully in ‘Un tendre intérêt vous appelle’ from Rameau’s Castor et Pollux and Lalande’s sacrilegiously lovely Tu Rex gloriae’ (Sinfini.com)» More

A year before she retired from the Opéra, Marie Fel took part in the 1757 revival of Rameau’s Les surprises de l’Amour, originally written for a production in Madame de Pompadour’s private theatre at Versailles in 1748. For this revival, Rameau replaced the role of Amour (Cupid) with a special part for Marie. Here she plays the Siren Parthenope, who devises a plan to trick her rival, the Muse Urania. In a divertissement beginning ‘Accordez vos sons et vos pas’, Parthenope summons her attendant Sirens to cast a spell on her lyre that will make the severe Urania sensitive to love. This scene provides Rameau with an opportunity to indulge in some colourful orchestral effects, notably the use of multiple-stopped pizzicato chords to represent the plucking of the lyre.

from notes by Graham Sadler © 2014

Un an avant de se retirer de l’Opéra, Marie Fel participa à la reprise (1757) de Les surprises de l’Amour de Rameau, originellement conçu pour être joué dans le théâtre privé de Madame de Pompadour, à Versailles, en 1748. Pour cette reprise, Rameau remplaça le rôle d’Amour (Cupidon) par une partie spéciale pour Marie, dont le personnage, la sirène Parthénope, ourdit un plan pour rouler sa rivale, la muse Uranie: dans un début sous forme de divertissement, «Accordez vos sons et vos pas», elle convoque ses servantes Sirènes et jette un sort à sa lyre, pour rendre l’austère Uranie sensible à l’amour. Cette scène est pour Rameau l’occasion de se livrer à de pittoresques effets orchestraux grâce, notamment, à des accords pizzicato (doubles et triples cordes) symbolisant le pincement de la lyre.

extrait des notes rédigées par Graham Sadler © 2014
Français: Hypérion

Ein Jahr bevor sie sich von der Opéra zurückzog, nahm Marie Fel an der Wiederaufnahme von Rameaus Oper Les surprises de l’Amour von 1757 teil, die ursprünglich für eine Inszenierung in Madame de Pompadours Privattheater in Versailles im Jahre 1748 entstanden war. Für diese Wiederaufnahme ersetzte Rameau die Rolle des Amour mit einer besonderen Rolle für Marie Fel. Hier spielte sie die Sirene Parthenope, die einen Plan ausheckt, mit dem ihre Rivalin, die Muse Urania, überlistet werden soll. In einem Divertissement, das mit „Accordez vos sons et vos pas“ beginnt, ruft Parthenope ihre Gefolgschaft zu sich, um ihre Leier mit einem Zauber zu belegen, der die strenge Urania liebesfähig machen soll. Diese Szene lieferte Rameau Gelegenheit, schillernde Orchesterklangfarben einzusetzen, was insbesondere in den Mehrfachgriffen im Pizzicato zum Ausdruck kommt, die das Zupfen der Leier darstellen.

aus dem Begleittext von Graham Sadler © 2014
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

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