(c) Jean-Baptiste Millot & Celina Friedrichs Marie Théoleyre & Rémy Brès‐Feuillet: Salle Cortot
Paris, Salle Cortot — Main Hall
About the Event
With *L’Orfeo* in 1607, Claudio Monteverdi established himself as the genius who gave opera—then in its infancy—its prestige and its full human dimension. Nearly four decades later, *L’Incoronazione di Poppea* (1642) ushered in the era of Venetian opera with all its excess and irresistible melodic allure (the music written for Poppea and Nero exudes a suffocating sensuality). His disciple, Francesco Cavalli, further enhanced this prodigious richness with incomparable artistry, of which *La Calisto* (1651) remains the best‐known example. But the Serenissima was not alone in reveling in these lush sounds: at the request of Cardinal Mazarin, the Roman composer Luigi Rossi premiered an *Orfeo* in Paris in 1647 that followed directly in this tradition and proved to be a true masterpiece.
Centered on the central theme of the duets between Poppea and Nero, the superb voices of Marie Théoleyre and Rémy Brès‐Feuillet come together to celebrate this splendid repertoire, accompanied by the virtuosos of the La Palatine ensemble, led by harpsichordist Guillaume Haldenwang.
Cast / Production
Marie Théoleyre, soprano
Rémy Brès‐Feuillet, alto
Ensemble La Palatine
Guillaume Haldenwang, harpsichord
Noémie Lenhof, viola da gamba
Manon Papasergio, harp & viola
Address
Salle Cortot, 78 rue Cardinet, Paris, France — Google Maps
