L’Olimpiade

“The end of the first act of L’Olimpiade had made a great impression on me the first time I heard it. I had always had it in mind to perform this opera one day, and when Château de Versailles Spectacles proposed that Les Talens Lyriques present it on the occasion of the celebration of the Olympic Games in Paris, I was absolutely delighted! Cimarosa is known above all for his comedies, such as Il matrimonio segreto, but also, amongst others, Il marito disperato and Il mercato di Malmantile, two operas that I had conducted with Les Talens Lyriques. L’Olimpiade, a tragic piece, is sparkling with technical virtuosity, but it is also very tense in its expression; the passions are clearly represented. Cimarosa’s music is absolutely exquisite, and there is no doubt that Josh Lovell and Rocío Pérez, two great virtuosos whom I am delighted to see again, will do it justice, as will Maité Beaumont, Marie Lys and others, who appear regularly with Les Talens Lyriques, and the very promising young tenor, Alex Banfield. Returning to this Neapolitan music, Classical in style, is like going back thirty years in time to the very early days of Les Talens Lyriques, when we were recording works such as Jommelli’s Armida abbandonata or Traetta’s Antigona.”

– Christophe Rousset