"Quelle douce harmonie a frappé mon oreille ?"
"Ne cherchons plus d'où vient cette tendresse"
Charpentier: Orphée aux enfers
This is a marriage made in heaven—not between Orphée and Eurydice, but in the combined talents of the two premiere French ensembles Vox Luminis and A Nocte Temporis. Singing the title role of Charpentier’s 1686 mini opera (about the doomed love between Orphée and Eurydice), Reinoud Van Mechelen uses his effortlessly high tenor range and silvery tone to color his lament for Eurydice and underscore his appeals for her release from Hades. The minor roles are characterfully sung by members of Vox Luminis who come together in finely nuanced choruses—major highlights of the work. The flutes and viols of A Nocte Temporis support them with style and sensitivity. Although the opera is missing its final act here, the performers still manage to whip up an emotional storm.
"Inventons mille jeux divers"
Reinoud Van Mechelen, Lionel Meunier, Vox Luminis, Clara Coutouly, Zsuzsi Tóth, A Nocte Temporis, Victoria Cassano
"Compagnes fidèles"
Clara Coutouly, Vox Luminis, Deborah Cachet, Lionel Meunier, A Nocte Temporis, Reinoud Van Mechelen
"Qu'ai-je entendu ? Que vois-je ?"
"Affreux tourments, gênes cruelles"
"Quelle touchante voix"
"Que cherche en mon palais ce mortel téméraire ?"
Reinoud Van Mechelen, Geoffroy Buffière, A Nocte Temporis
"Pauvre amant, quel cœur de rocher"
"Le destin est contraire à ce que tu souhaites"
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier, A Nocte Temporis, Stefanie True, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Geoffroy Buffière
"Quel charme impérieux m'incite à la tendresse ?"
Stefanie True, A Nocte Temporis, Geoffroy Buffière, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier
"Je cède, je me rends, aimable Prosperine"
A Nocte Temporis, Geoffroy Buffière, Reinoud Van Mechelen
"Vous partez donc, Orphée ?"