The overture to "Le Magnifique" is an early example of programmatic music, portraying the movements and clamors of a procession of captives and juxtaposing different musical styles.
Composition History
Grétry's opera "Le Magnifique" was first performed at the Paris Comédie-Italienne on March 4, 1773.
Compositional Technique
Grétry's "Le Magnifique" features a multi-sectional finale in Act III, inspired by Italian opera buffa, which is one of the earliest examples of this form in French opéra-comique.
Interpretation
The edition of "Le Magnifique" used for this recording was prepared by conductor Ryan Brown, based on 18th-century parts and scores.
Performer Biography
Opera Lafayette, the American period instrument ensemble on this recording, specializes in French repertoire and has earned critical acclaim for its performances and recordings.
Recording & Production
This recording of Grétry's "Le Magnifique" is a world première recording.
Composer's Artistic Vision
André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry, the composer, chose to set a poem by Jean-Michel Sedaine because Sedaine excelled at creating characters and situations that produced new effects while remaining true to nature.
You might also enjoy...
Richard Strauss: Elektra
Wagner: Die Walküre
Wagner: Siegfried
Strauss: Salome, Op. 54
Wagner: Parsifal
Wagner: Lohengrin - The Sony Opera House
Wagner: Parsifal
Nielsen: Saul & David
Schönberg: Moses und Aron
Götterdämmerung - Oper in einem Vorspiel und drei Aufzügen
Kraus, J.M.: Aeneas in Carthage - Overtures, Ballet Music and Marches
