L’Olimpiade

Domenico Cimarosa (1749 - 1801)

Recorded from 18 to 22 December 2023 at the Salle Colonne (Paris).

2CD Château de Versailles Spectacles – CVS143

Cover: The Discobolus, Myron 5th century BC © Carole Raddato

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Born in 1749, Cimarosa was one of Europe’s leading composers at the end of the 18th century.
It was during his most productive period that he produced his Olimpiade, a grand opera seria transformed into a sumptuous bel canto drama. Here Cimarosa brings heroism to the athletes competing in Olympia in the Games, the winner of which will marry the Princess Aristea: seemingly inextricable, the plot allows the composer to compose some of the most extraordinary arias ever composed to Metastasio’s libretto. Christophe Rousset, a great champion of the fin-de-siècle Italian repertoire, carries off a dazzling cast in this bel-cante hurricane!

Distribution

  • Josh Lovell, Clistene
  • Rocío Pérez, Aristea
  • Mathilde Ortscheidt, Licida
  • Maite Beaumont, Megacle
  • Marie Lys, Argene
  • Alex Banfield, Aminta
  • Christophe Rousset, Pianoforte & direction
  • Les Talens Lyriques