The revival of Prosperpine, Lully's 1680 collaboration with his longtime librettist Philippe Quinault, by Hervé Niquet and his ensemble Le Concert Spirituel, reveals that while the opera may not have the most compelling dramatic impact, it has an abundance of expressive, elegant, richly varied music, written with inspiration that never flags over its two and a half hours. Lully's vocal writing is graceful and flattering to the voice, his orchestration is unfailingly colorful, and his musical juxtapositions are often ...
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The revival of Prosperpine, Lully's 1680 collaboration with his longtime librettist Philippe Quinault, by Hervé Niquet and his ensemble Le Concert Spirituel, reveals that while the opera may not have the most compelling dramatic impact, it has an abundance of expressive, elegant, richly varied music, written with inspiration that never flags over its two and a half hours. Lully's vocal writing is graceful and flattering to the voice, his orchestration is unfailingly colorful, and his musical juxtapositions are often delightfully quirky. He makes the most of the absurdities of the libretto and creates considerable dramatic tension through the diversity of approaches he brings to the text, deftly linking solos, duets, larger ensembles, choruses, dances, and instrumental interludes. His apt handling of the recitative, a device that has been known to bog down many a Baroque opera, keeps things moving along nicely. The fully committed performers go a long way in winning the sympathies of listeners; they...
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