Rameau: Les Boréades (Paris, 2003)

Cast: Barbara Bonney (Alphise), Paul Agnew (Abaris), Toby Spence (Calisis), Stéphanie Degout (Borlée), Laurent Naouri (Borée), Nicolas Rivenq (Adamas, Apollon), Anna-Maria Panzarella (Sémire), Jaël Azzaretti (Une nymphe); Opéra National de Paris, Les Arts Florissantes, William Christie (conductor), Robert Carsen (director), Michael Levine (designer), Thomas Grimm (video director)

Recorded at Opéra National de Paris in April, 2003

Issued on DVD by Opus Arte in 2004 [DA 08999 D, PAL/all regions, menus in English, subtitles in English, French, German]

Technical details
Aspect ratio 16:9
Sound PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1

Running time: 218 minutes

Sung in French

This recording seems to attempt to compensate for a dreary score with exciting staging. Of course, the score is not dreary, but it is made to seem so in both singing and playing; the staging is more distracting than exciting, posing problems of comprehension beyond those of relating the imagery to the music.

When the move to original instruments began, one had to tolerate faulty pitches and labored performance to experience the novelty. Of course, we have progressed far beyond that today, but this performance appears to be a throwback to the bad old days. Audibly, it is dreary if authentic; visually, it is disrupted by the posing of anachronistic, even spastic dance (from La La La Human Steps) and by monochromatic color schemes disrupted by startling if irrelevant clashes.

With a few exceptions, the singers slur the text beyond recognition. The worst offender may be Barbara Bonney, whose bright instrument becomes nearly expressionless. Agnew can be understood, but his tenor is not ingratiating in a role calling for a Simoneau or, perhaps, Beuron. Overall, the lack of crsipness and clarity may not be entirely due to Christie, but he is certainly a co-conspirator.

One must allow that this recording will strike a stronger chord with one already familiar with the work or with a specialist in the genre. As one who knows only half a dozen recordings of Rameau's operas, I comment with that knowledge, not with expertise.
 
Related website:
BBC Opus Arte: www.opusarte.com/
Michael Richter, 29 March 2005
mrichter@cpl.net
 
See also Michael Richter's Introduction to the DVD, for a list of other reviews see the DVD Project page.