CD Review | Lully Armide, Château de Versailles Spectacles, 2023

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Lully – Armide

Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Cyril Auvity, Tomislav Lavoie, Marie Perbost, Eva Zaïcik, Timothée Varon, David Tricou, Virgile Ancely, Anouk Defontenay and Jeanne Lefort; Le Poème Harmonique, Chœur de l’Opéra de Dijon; Vincent Dumestre, music director

Château de Versailles Spectacles, 2023

Lully Armide Recorded in May 2023 at Versailles’s Royal Opera, Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Armide here receives a royal treatment in every sense of the word. Le Poème Harmonique, directed by its founder Vincent Dumestre, showcases its expertise in the 17th– and 18th-century repertoire thanks to an interpretation full of the bounding energy which characterizes French music. Each section of instruments seems to express itself with the same voice, with the required delicacy and roundness, while the Chœur de l’Opéra de Dijon, also prominent on this album, impresses with its impeccable diction—and this, despite sound capture farther away than that reserved for solo singers.

In the title role, Stéphanie d’Oustrac stands out distinctly with her rich timbre and intensity. However, certain lines might have been better served by less substance and more simplicity of expression. For his part, Quebec’s Tomislav Lavoie, who has a successful career across the Atlantic, sings Hidraot, King of Damascus and uncle of Armide, with an elegant voice full of authority, including in the faster segments. The haute-contre Cyril Auvity, for his part, portrays a surprisingly reserved Renaud, especially in comparison with d’Oustrac’s Armide. His vocal execution is certainly fluid, alternating naturally between soft and more robust passages, but we regret the persistent nasal tones in his high register.

Worth noting is the impressive 146-page booklet which includes a detailed article on the work, another on the composer and an in-depth interview with the conductor. An excellent listening companion with which to immerse yourself in the world of this opera, a model of French refinement.