Jean Baptiste Lully Atys LWV 53 (1676)
Tragédie en musique (prologue and five acts) from a libretto by Philippe Quinault, premiered on January 10, 1676 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Cast
Reinoud Van Mechelen Atys Judith Van Wanroij Cybèle Céline Scheen Flore, Sangaride Apolline Raï-Westphal Melpomène, Mélisse Gwendoline Blondeel Iris, Doris Kieran White Un Zéphyr, Le Sommeil Nick Pritchard Morphée Antonin Rondepierre Phantase Olivier Cesarini Le Temps, Le fleuve Sangar, Phobétor Philippe Estèphe Célénus Romain Bockler Idas Vlad Crosman Un songe funeste
Chœur de Chambre de Namur Chef de chœur Thibaut Lenaerts Les Talens Lyriques Conductor, Christophe Rousset
“Les Talens Lyriques’ Lully cycle couldn’t possibly not include Atys. I happened to be William Christie’s assistant when, in 1987, for the tercentenary of the composer’s death, this work was recreated in Paris at the Opéra-Comique. For me, Atys is an absolute must, but it is not a work that I could have tackled early on in my Lullian career. I would like to present a personal interpretation of this work, explore it in a different way, based on a different interpretative principle, and bring together absolutely first-rate soloists. The interpretation of an opera depends very much on the personalities of the singers, who give new life, bring new blood, to the characters they portray. At the very least, we will try, all together, to give this masterpiece a new colour and fresh energy.”
– Christophe Rousset
