Listen to a Sample:

This may be one of the most interesting accounts of any Rameau opera available. Certainly some of the period performance mavens out there will bristle at the idea of the likes of of Placido Domingo dawning a powdered wig and trying his hand at the baroque style, however lovers of great singing will not. Domingo and Sills replicate the same dynamic energy on stage here that they did in any opera of the romantic period. Domingo's ability to float the high tessitura in full voice (tenors of Rameau's day would no doubt have gone into their head voices) is quite remarkable for a spinto tenor. Sills' voice is lush and her coloratura is sensational. Despite the larger orchestration courtesy of Saint-Saëns, Sarah Caldwell shows that she has an affinity for the baroque style and carefully works in some very effective ornamentation (I was fortunate to come across her score of this opera for my preparation of this set.) The sound is generally fair to good however occasionally there is the odd digital click.

OD 10771-2