Lea Desandre (mezzo-soprano)
Amazone
Ensemble Jupiter/Thomas Dunford (musical director/lute)
Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano), Véronique Gens (soprano), William Christie (harpsichord)
rec. September 2020, Chapelle Corneille, Rouen; February 2021, La Diacosmie, Opéra Nice, Côte d'Azur, France (track 5)
ERATO 9029506584 [75:37]
This is mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre’s first solo recital album, a striking collection of Italian and French opera arias interspersed with orchestral sinfonias and instrumental pieces.
Of French-Italian descent, French-born, Desandre was a ballet student for twelve years before focusing on singing as her career. She is a laurate of Le Jardin des Voix, the academy of Les Arts Florissants for young baroque singers founded by co-music directors William Christie and Paul Agnew. In 2016, she won the HSBC prize at the Académie du Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and in 2017 was named ‘vocal discovery’ at the prestigious Victoires de la Musique Classique awards in Paris.
Desandre has swiftly built up a considerable number of opera roles, primarily baroque, including Alcione, her debut major role on the French stage, Sesto (Giulio Cesare), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Venus in Venus and Adonis, Messaggera (L’Orfeo), Flerida (Erismena) and Amore/Valletto (L’Incoronazione di Poppea). There are a number of Classical and Romantic era opera roles too, notably Annio (La clemenza di Tito), Despina (Così Fan Tutte), Urbain (Les Huguenots), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Vénus (Orphée aux enfers) and Manuelita (La Périchole). Recently, Desandre has been touring Europe in the role of Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) with more performances planned for 2022. Her career has progressed quickly and she has already performed at a number of renowned concert halls and opera houses worldwide, notably Los Angeles, London, Paris, Vienna, Geneva, Moscow, Shanghai and Sydney. A dedicated chamber recitalist, too, as on this recording, she often plays with lutenist Thomas Dunford who directs Jupiter, a young period-instrument ensemble he founded in 2018.
The ‘Amazone’ project is a collaboration between Desandre and musicologist Yannis François, who have looked to baroque era operas based on fabled Amazonian figures from Greek mythology, for example, Myrina (or Mitilene), Thalestris (or Minythyia) Antiope, Hippolyte and Marthésia (or Marpesia). Queens of their realm, these Amazonian warriors and hunters were bold, courageous, and resolutely independent women who have a legacy of inspiring women artists.
From the given dates, the arias on the collection, spanning the period 1662 to 1723, are products of the mid-to-late baroque era. Seventeen arias are taken from operas by eight composers, the earliest from Francesco Cavalli to the latest by Giuseppe de Bottis. By some distance, the most famous composer represented here is the Venetian Antonio Vivaldi, who heads several other well-known names, markedly another Venetian, Francesco Cavalli, adopted Parisian Louis Couperin and François Couperin (known as Couperin le Grand), a Parisian working at the court of King Louis XIV of France. Lesser-known composers include Neapolitans Giuseppe de Bottis and Francesco Provenzale, Florentine Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani and Parisian André Cardinal Destouches. Other rarely-encountered composers are Georg Caspar Schürmann a native of Lower Saxony and employed at the Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel court, and Venetian Carlo Pallavicino, who worked at the Dresden court; both were both influenced by operas of the Italian cities of Venice and Florence in vogue at the time. Falling into the undervalued category are fifteen of the works (according to the booklet) or sixteen (as shown on a promo video clip), all receiving their world premiere recordings.
It doesn’t take long to realise that Lea Desandre is a special singer. In this programme of challenging arias, she provides memorable and characterful responses to the texts. Relishing the virtuoso challenges of the arias, with adroit control she projects her voice clearly and achieves her high notes decisively, with seemingly little effort. Her coloratura is confidently executed, although her approach is not entirely to my taste and can border on excitable shrieking, for example, in the aria Sdegno all'armi from Bottis’ opera Mitilene, regina delle amazzoni. As she is a relative newcomer to the stage, it might seem predictable to describe her voice as fresh, but one soon feels her enthusiasm and talent for breathing life into the Amazonian characters of these dust-laden arias. It is likely that some arias here are being heard for the first time since the composer’s ink was still wet on the score.
My album highlight is Ippolita’s aria Onde chiare che sussurrate from Vivaldi’s opera Ercole sul Termodonte. Making quite an impact, Vivaldi’s meltingly beautiful melody inspires rapturous singing from Desandre, who as Ippolita sings a love song to Nature. Standing out also is Desandre’s performance of Menalippa’s aria Lasciatemi morir, stelle crudeli from Francesco Provenzale’s opera Lo schiavo di sua moglie. With affecting expression Desandre is convincing as Menalippa expressing how she would rather die than live amongst the enemy army.
Desandre travelled to the French Riviera to record the duet of Mitilene and Armidoro lo piango - Io peno from Bottis’ opera Mitilene, Regina delle Amazzoni with distinguished Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, with notable results. The elevated level of emotional tension generated by the two mezzo-sopranos is palpable, and a tasteful accompaniment comprising of violin, lute, viola da gamba, double bass and organ is provided. Renowned French soprano Véronique Gens accompanies Desandre in Hippolyte’s and Thalestris’ high-octane duet Combattons, courrons à la gloire from Philidor’s Les Amazones. This duet is a joy, with soprano and mezzo voices combining admirably as the Amazonian queens motivate themselves for battle.
Throughout the collection there are top-drawer keyboard contributions from Jean Rondeau on both organ and harpsichord. Praise, too, is due to renowned early music specialist William Christie who teams up with lutenist Thomas Dunford for Louis Couperin’s Passacaille in C major. The chamber ensemble Jupiter, directed by Dunford from the lute, plays gloriously, providing a well-mannered quality with a convincing level of expression. It did take me a while to accept the considerable amount of percussion employed in many of the works, including the substantial use of timpani, castanets, hand drums, and even thunderclaps and wind effects.
Following the official final aria on the album, Vivaldi’s Scenderò, volerò, griderò, an extra track awaits the listener. Entitled Amazones, the aria, taking just over two minutes, doesn’t appear in the tracklisting or booklet but is included in the total timing. I would describe the aria with its solo lute introduction as a ‘bonus track’ which sounds very much like the other baroque repertoire on this album. When playing the track on my computer the digital display shows Dunford as the composer - presumably music director and lutenist Thomas Dunford, so it seems likely that this is the sixteenth world premiere recording here.
All bar one of the works are recorded at the Chapelle Corneille, Rouen, where the recording engineers have achieved first-rate sound which is vividly clear and has a splendid balance between vocals and instruments. The single work. Desandre’s duetto with Cecilia Bartoli. has also been successfully recorded but at La Diacosmie, Opéra Nice.
This Erato set is presented in a sturdy card box holding both the CD and booklet. Desandre has written a few introductory lines, and there is a concise article from Yannis François and an essay by Marion Bet, all focusing almost entirely on the Amazonian theme. Very little information is given about the works themselves which is a disappointing approach for an album containing so many rare works. On the positive side, it is gratifying that sung French and Italian texts with English translations are provided.
Lovers of baroque opera will surely value highly this striking album. These performances by Desandre, her guest soloists and the period-instrument ensemble Jupiter all in exceptional form, richly deserve plaudits.
Michael Cookson
Contents
Francesco PROVENZALE (1624-1704)
Lo schiavo di sua moglie
1. "Non posso far" (Lucillo) [01:31]
Francesco CAVALLI (1602-1676)
Ercole amante,
2. Act 1: Sinfonia [02:26]
Francesco PROVENZALE (1624-1704)
Lo schiavo di sua moglie
3. "Lasciatemi morir, stelle crudeli" (Menalippa) [03:20]
Giovanni Bonaventura VIVIANI (1638-1693)
Mitilene, regina delle amazzoni
4. "Muove il piè, furia d'Averno" (Mitilene) [01:14]
Giuseppe de BOTTIS (1678-1753)
Mitilene, regina delle amazzoni
5. Duetto "Io piango" - "Io peno" (Mitilene, Armidoro) [04:56]
Georg Caspar SCHÜRMANN (1672/73-1751)
Die getreue Alceste
6. Sinfonia pour la tempête (1719 Hamburg Version) [01:08]
Carlo PALLAVICINO (c. 1630-1688) / Completed by Nicolaus Adam STRUNCK (1640-1700)
L'Antiope
7. "Vieni, corri, volami in braccio" (Antiope) [02:35]
8. "Sdegni, furori barbari" (Celinda [01:13]
André Danican PHILIDOR (1652-1730)
Les Amazones
9. "Venez, troupe guerrière" (Thalestris) - "Puisque tout est tranquille" (Hippolyte) -
Duo: "Combattons, courrons à la gloire" (Thalestris, Hippolyte) [04:19]
Louis COUPERIN (1626-1661)
10. Passacaille in C major, for harpsichord and lute [03:01]
André Cardinal DESTOUCHES (1672-1749)
Marthésie, première reine des amazons
11. "Faible fierté, gloire impuissante" (Thalestris) [04:05]
Marin MARAIS (1656-1728)
Pièces de viole, Livre IV - Suite d'un goût étranger
12. XIV. L'Amériquaine, for lute and viola da gamba [04:57]
André Cardinal DESTOUCHES
Marthésie, première reine des amazons
13. "Ô mort! Ô triste mort" (Thalestris) [02:24]
14. Postlude improvise, for solo harpsichord [02:44]
François COUPERIN (1668-1733)
Second Livre de pièces de clavecin,
15. Dixième Ordre: VI. L'Amazône, for solo harpsichord [01:49]
André Cardinal DESTOUCHES
Marthésie, première reine des amazons
16. "Quel coup me réservait la colère céleste?" (Marthésie) [04:28
Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741)
Ercole sul Termodonte, RV 710
17. Sinfonia: I. Allegro [01:40]
Giuseppe de BOTTIS
Mitilene, regina delle amazzoni
18. "Che farai misero core" (Mitilene) [03:53]
Georg Caspar SCHÜRMANN
Die getreue Alceste
19. "Non ha fortuna il pianto mio" (Hyppolite) [02:23]
Antonio VIVALDI
Ercole sul Termodonte, RV 710
20. Sinfonia: II. Andante [02:29]
Giuseppe de BOTTIS
Mitilene, regina delle amazzoni
21. "Lieti fiori, erbe odorose" (Mitilene) [04:13]
22. "Sdegno all'armi, alle vendette" (Mitilene) [02:05]
Antonio VIVALDI
Ercole sul Termodonte, RV 710
23. Sinfonia: III. Allegro [01:17]
24. "Onde chiare che sussurrate" (Ippolita) [07:05]
25. "Scenderò, volerò, griderò" (Antiope) [01:37]
Bonus track
DUNFORD
26. Amazons [2:11]
World Premiere Recordings: tracks 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, (26?)
Musicians
Guests: Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo-soprano (track 5), Véronique Gens, soprano (track 9), William Christie, harpsichord (track 10)
Jupiter (period-instrument ensemble)/Thomas Dunford (music direction & lute)
Sophie Gent, violin (tracks: 1 to 9, 11, 13, 16 to 26),
Théotime Langlois de Swarte, violin (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11, 13, 16 to 26)
Sophie de Bardonnèche, viola (tracks: 2, 3, 6 to 9, 11, 13, 16 to 26),
Cyril Poulet, cello (tracks: 2, 4, 6 to 8, 11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22 to 26)
Joshua Cheatham, double bass (tracks: 2 to 4, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19, 21)
Hugo Abraham, double bass (tracks: 1, 5 to 8, 17, 20, 22 to 26),
Alexis Kossenko, flute (tracks: 11, 21),
Anne Parisot, flute (tracks: 11, 21)
Keyvan Chemirani, percussion (tracks: 1, 8)
Marie-Ange Petit, percussion (tracks: 6 to 8, 9, 13, 16)
Jean Rondeau, keyboards (organ and harpsichord, tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11, 13, 16 to 25; solo harpsichord 14, 15)
Pierre Gallon, organ (track 5)
Salomé Gasselin, viola da gamba (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 21, 26 · solo: 12)
