Sabine Devieilhe, Alexis Kossenko – Rameau: Le Grand Théâtre de l’Amour (2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Sabine Devieilhe, Alexis Kossenko – Rameau: Le Grand Théâtre de l’Amour (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:20:07 minutes | 1,36 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics International

Sabine Devieilhe, the young French lyric-coloratura soprano, is a singer “whose upper register, like her virtuosity, appears limitless, while her verbal sense and dramatic engagement are breathtaking”. A prizewinner in the 2013 Victoires de la Musique Classique, France’s equivalent of the Grammys, she has recorded a ravishing programme of excerpts from operas by Rameau with conductor Alexis Kossenko and his ensemble Les Ambassadeurs.

The operas of Jean-Philippe Rameau, vast spectacles, may be lost to history in their original forms. Sure, some of them have been produced in the modern era, but no company could muster the combination of singers, instrumentalists, choreography, and costume and scene design that would have accompanied the originals. The closest might be this release by French soprano Sabine Devieilhe, which is a thrill from start to finish. The album simply has it all. Devieilhe’s voice is a knockout, and a deceptive one at that: it comes in as a flutelike thing in the mid-range but then scores with an agile top that seems absolutely undaunted by acrobatic vocal writing. The work of the historical-instrument orchestra Les Ambassadeurs under Alexis Kossenko is technically superb and dramatically sharp; they convey the feeling of playing for real theatergoers. The music covers selections from some operas with hugely ambitious themes, and there are three world-premiere recordings. Sample the storm aria from Les Indes Galantes (The Gallant Indians), track 17, with its wind machine and its colorful vocal canvas, for a taste of an immensely satisfying recital by a new face on the scene who makes you wonder just how far she’ll eventually go.

Tracklist:
01. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Indes Galantes: “Forêts paisibles” (Les sauvages) (04:45)
02. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – “Feuillages verts naissez” (Brunette) (01:53)
03. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Pygmalion: Ouverture (02:58)
04. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Paladins: “Est-il beau?” (Nérine) (00:52)
05. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour: Contredanse (01:06)
06. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Indes Galantes: “Viens, Hymen” (Phani) (03:52)
07. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Naïs: “Je ne sais quel ennui me presse” (Une bergerè) (03:27)
08. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Boréades: “Un horizon serein” (Alphise) (07:58)
09. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Boréades: Contredanse en rondeau (03:15)
10. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Paladins: “Pour voltiger” (Nérine, Atis) (03:41)
11. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Hippolyte & Aricie: Ritournelle (00:52)
12. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Anacréon: “Tendre Amour” (Chloé) (02:43)
13. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Zoroastre: Ballet figuré (01:26)
14. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Indes Galantes: Scène finale de l’entrée des Incas (05:54)
15. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Zaïs: “Coulez mes pleurs” (Zélidie) (03:44)
16. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Dardanus: Sommeil (04:42)
17. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Indes Galantes: “Vaste empire des mers” (Emilie) (04:18)
18. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Zoroastre: Air tendre en rondeau (01:55)
19. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Castor et Pollux: “Tristes apprêts” (Télaïre) (05:05)
20. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Fêtes d’Hébé: Tambourins (01:40)
21. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Platée: “Aux langueurs d’Apollon” (Air de la Folie) (05:01)
22. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Indes Galantes: Chaconne (05:35)
23. Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden, Aimery Lefebvre, Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko – Les Indes Galantes: “Régnez, plaisirs et jeux” (Zima) (03:16)

Personnel:
Composer: Jean-Philippe Rameau
Performer: Aimery Lefevre, Sabine Devieilhe, Samuel Boden
Conductor: Alexis Kossenko
Orchestra/Ensemble: Jeune Choeur de Paris, Les Ambassadeurs

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