Rameau: Hippolyte et Aricie
Recorded live at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Lewes, June 2013
Ed Lyon (Hippolytus), Christiane Karg (Aricia), Sarah Connolly (Phaedre) & Stéphane Degout (Theseus)
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment & The Glyndebourne Chorus, William Christie (conductor) & Jonathan Kent (director)
In Glyndebourne’s first-ever staging of a opera by Rameau, director Jonathan Kent presents a production which, in his own words, ‘strives to appeal to every sense and show audiences how engrossing and musically ravishing French Baroque opera can be’. Rameau’s inventive take on Racine’s great tragedy Phèdre is brought to life by Paul Brown’s colourful and elegant designs and Ashley Page’s playful choreography. Ed Lyon and Christiane Karg give captivating performances as the titular young lovers, while Sarah Connolly, making a welcome return to Glyndebourne, ‘invests Phaedra with both grandeur and a desperately human vulnerability’ (The Independent). Leading exponent of early music William Christie ‘sets an exhilarating pace, galvanising the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to playing of tremendous panache’ (The DailyTelegraph).
Extra features: Hippolyte et Aricie - an opera to surprise and delight and a cast gallery.
