The prime attraction of this Erato release is the presence of French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, who is in fine voice, his presence alone is reason enough for Jaroussky fans to go out and buy it. Beyond this, however, there's a more arcane draw: the album presents Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice in a previously unheard and little-known version. Gluck modified and adapted Orfeo ed Euridice several times, including reworking it entirely for French-language presentation in Paris in 1774. What's heard here is a different ...
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The prime attraction of this Erato release is the presence of French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, who is in fine voice, his presence alone is reason enough for Jaroussky fans to go out and buy it. Beyond this, however, there's a more arcane draw: the album presents Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice in a previously unheard and little-known version. Gluck modified and adapted Orfeo ed Euridice several times, including reworking it entirely for French-language presentation in Paris in 1774. What's heard here is a different revival, for a pair of Italian runs in the years before that. This version was first performed on-stage only in 2014, but it makes an ideal vehicle for Jaroussky: the arias for Orfeo were transposed upward and generally fitted to the voice of a male soprano, giving Jaroussky plenty to do. The choral passages in this reading, with the Swiss Radio Chorus led by I Barocchisti conductor Diego Fasolis, are vigorous and clearly articulated, and to hear the performance at its best you might...
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