Rameau - Les Boreades / Bonney, Agnew, Spence, Naouri, Panzarella, Degout, Rivenq, Christie, Les Arts Florissants, Paris Opera

Description

This mythical tale of a young queen, Alphise, determined to abdicate rather than contemplate an enforced marriage to a descendant of Boreas, is nothing less than highly-charged. Director Robert Carsen and his creative team flood the stage with summer blossoms, drifts of autumn leaves, winter snows and thunderous spring storms. The cast of 140 are attired in elegant costumes inspired by late 1940s Dior. The all-star cast, led by Barbara Bonney and Paul Agnew, includes the ground-breaking modern dance ensemble La La La Human Steps, choreographed by Édouard Lock, who perform dance `divertissements' in this strikingly beautiful staging. This 2-DVD set also includes `The Triumph of Love' - 60 minute documentary on the background of the production, including interviews with Robert Carsen, William Christie, Barbara Bonney, Paul Agnew and Laurent Naouri and other members of the cast. Picture Format: 4:3 • Sound Format: Dolby Stereo, 5.1 Surround Sound • Subtitles: GB/D/F/ES • Sung in French

Customer Reviews:

Musically rushed.......2007-07-10

Great to see this staged, but the music is so terribly driven - fast, even rushed - to the extreme. So much of the beautiful detail is lost. Much prefer to listen to Bruggen.

Snow Job.......2007-03-09

The voices are all great; Bonney especialy. It takes some getting use too, as this is early and largely unfamiliar opera form, but I found intense drama and developement in the music and the story line gripping. The production is top rate with clever use of snow (it's the north wind afterall) umbrellas and choreographed movement. The latter reflects the French taste for ballet. Yes, it takes getting used to, but is worth the effort.

Make it stop...pleeease!.......2007-02-09

If you like ultra modern productions coupled with 270 year old music then you will love this DVD. Personally I'm not such a good reviewer on the music of this DVD. Because of the inappropriate staging of this production, I could only stand to watch the first couple arias before hitting the "power" button on my DVD player.
One thing I don't AT ALL understand is why you have an ensemble of musicians dedicated to historically informed performances and then couple it with a staging reminicent of the SNL "Sprockets" sketch from the 1980's!!! Buy a CD and listen to the music only, if you're like me you'll be much happier. What's with the French detroying their own culture anyway? Les Indes Gallantes is 100% better in all respects.

A beautiful opera in a stunning modern performance.......2006-12-27

If your idea of opera involves high drama (divas stabbing villains with knives, or coughing themselves to death in the last act), then maybe Rameau won't be your cup of tea (or goblet of poison). But if you actually like French Baroque music (as I do), then this is some of Rameau's most gorgeous music. Yes, the action is not fast-paced. Yes, the plot is constantly interrupted by dances. But when the stagecraft is as visually stunning as that devised by Robert Carson in this production, and the dancing is by the group La La La Human Steps, well, you really don't want things to happen too quickly: you want to linger on the beautiful stage pictures these artists create. Barbara Bonney and Paul Agnew both sing wonderfully, and Les Arts Florissants directed by Wiliam Christie get the score just right. The costumes, which suggest mid-century Dior (with a touch of S&M), make the work seem oddly contemporary. I also recommend the interviews with the artists: an engaging and informative bonus.

Visually stunning!.......2006-11-03

A small group of friends meet regularly at my house to view opera DVDs. We all enjoyed this one very much. The staging worked beautifully, with the flowers, leaves and snow. The voices were quite good, and the baroque music wonderful. None of us was familiar with the music of Rameau, but will look forward to hearing more. Prospective viewers should be aware that there is as much, if not more, dance as singing. The dancing, like the staging, is very modern -- our one complaint was that the female dancers all looked anorexic! All in all, a first rate program. We heartily recommend it.

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