Opéra en concert

Desmaret, Campra | Iphigénie en Tauride

Saison

2023/2024

Two styles, one work: European influences and tragédie lyrique.

Portrait Veronique Gens Soprano Title role Iphigenie

A tragédie en musique in five acts and a prologue, begun by Henry Desmarest around 1696, based on a text by Joseph-François Duché de Vancy. Forced to leave France for Belgium and then Spain, he left the work unfinished. It was completed by André Campra with the assistance of Antoine Danchet. Campra is responsible for the entire prologue, the majority of Act V, two arias in Act I, one aria each in Acts II and III, and two arias in Act IV.

Distribution

Véronique Gens Iphigénie
Reinoud Van Mechelen Pylade
Thomas Dolié Oreste
David Witczak Thoas
Olivia Doray Electre
Floriane Hasler Diane
Tomislav Lavoie The Master of Ceremonies, The Ocean
Antonin Rondepierre An inhabitant of Delos, Triton, The High Priest
Jehanne Amzal Ismenide, 1^st inhabitant of Delos, 1^st Nymph, 1^st Priestess
Marine Lafdal-Franc 2^nd inhabitant of Delos, 2^nd Nymph, 2^nd Priestess

Hervé Niquet Conductor
Le Concert Spirituel Choir and Orchestra

Program

View the >> program

Production

Co-produced by the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Le Concert Spirituel, and the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles Score prepared and published by the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles

Duration

2h45

including intermission

Photo credit

Véronique Gens © Jean-Baptiste Millot

Additional information

Opera sung in French, with French and English surtitles

This concert will be recorded for the label Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France

A model of the French tragédie lyrique (5 acts and a prologue), this Iphigénie was begun by Desmarest and completed a few years later by Campra, premiering at the Académie Royale de Musique in 1704.

Talented and precocious, Henry Desmarest (1661-1741) was destined for a brilliant career in the service of Louis XIV, but his fate was upended by a scandal that forced him into exile—leaving his work unfinished. His music stands out in the French landscape of the time, particularly for its diverse foreign influences, reflecting his many travels across Europe. The sensitivity and virtuosity of his works make him one of the most remarkable composers of his generation.
Born in Aix-en-Provence in 1660 and died in Versailles in 1744, André Campra also holds a premier position on the French operatic stage and in the realm of sacred music. As music director at Notre-Dame de Paris, and later at the Académie Royale and the Chapelle Royale in Versailles, he held key positions that granted him considerable influence during his lifetime. For this invitation to discover this "four-handed" work, Hervé Niquet has once again brought together a team of singers who are loyal to and familiar with this repertoire.

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This concert is part of a project welcoming student singers and instrumentalists as part of the partnership established in 2021 between Le Concert Spirituel and the CRR de Paris and Pôle Supérieur de Paris-Boulogne Billancourt. To learn more about this professional integration initiative, visit >> this page.

Le Concert Spirituel is in residence at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées as part of the "cross-residency" program initiated by the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles.