Les Troyens- Grand duet

1988- Opera de Lyon
The slowest version of this fantastic duet.
Gary Lakes, Kathryn Harries

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Trojans
• Troyens
• Berlioz
• Gary
• Lakes
• Kathryn
• Harries
• Susan
• Graham
• Janet
• Baker
• Domingo
• Troyanos
• Vickers
• Shirley
• Verrett

[JoanatNo29]

Beautiful, yes; slow, yes - it nearly sent me to sleep. But this is supposed to be a love duet - yet they never get close enough to even shake hands ! I don't get it !! They hardly look ecstatic about it !!

[foropera]

@JoanatNo29 Yes! I suppose it's decency, dignity, guilt, and moral scruples...But at the end it's a little bit like in "In the mood for love", they never touch and for the audience it's a bit frustrating. :-)

[JoanatNo29]

@foropera Compare the version with Susan Graham and Gregory Kunde - a couple of postings on here. Much more convincing as a pair of lovers and, I find, equally beautiful for listen to. I'm not sure why these two should have to exhibit 'decency, dignity, guilt and moral scruples' - to the best of my knowledge the ancient Greeks seldom did anyway.

[foropera]

@JoanatNo29 I know, they are "hotter" in the Chatelet Version...:-) But if you listen to the words, Aeneas says:"Par une telle nuit la pudique Diane laissa tomber enfin son voile diaphane aux yeux d’Endymion." And she answers: "Par une telle nuit le fils de Cythérée accueillit froidement la tendresse enivrée de la reine Didon!"-Aeneas": et dans la même nuit hélas! l’injuste reine, accusant son amant, obtint de lui sans peine le plus tendre pardon."

[foropera]

@JoanatNo29 : It can be showed as the fear of Dido to be unfaithful to her late Husband, as she said it to Anna, before. Or showed as a subtle transgression to their "meeting". ;-)

[dapheneo]

Pas mal mais tres loin de la version Crespin / Chauvet qui est definitive.

Harries cherche dans cette direction , beaux efforts.

[foropera]

@dapheneo: K. Harries a un côté Meryl Streep que n'a pas Crespin, plus pulpeuse...C'est sans doute une voix plus modeste, mais sa modernité, sa retenue me touchent beaucoup.

[metropolitan1966]

Wonderful singing of an equally wonderful operatic moment. Gary Lakes at 8:55 is simply unforgettable. Never heard of Ms Harries, but love the color of her voice and Its style and control. Her sound is really beautiful. I just wish that French Romantic music was not performed in the style of Bach. Some real passion is needed and less crooning of the top notes. The highest reaches of this vocal line cries out for tone with plenty of vertical space and arch and less of a spread delivery.

[franceseattle]

I have no idea what metropolitan1966 means about singing like Bach. Usually this opera is stuffed full of loud coarse wobbly Wagnerian screechers---especially Cassandre's role.

I love these voices--they are bringing out the ethereal quality of their love. My only quibble is that I find the tempo on the slow side. I'd love to hear more of this production!

[drwpeace1]

This is quite wonderful. When you have such beautiful and rich and full voices and a really good conductor who knows how to create a cushion of sound for the lovers, this tempo seems OH so right. If only Jessye had had Lales to sing with in ner Met Broadcast, what a performance that would have been. But again this performance is quite wondeful. Is the complete performance available? where? Thanks for posting it. Lakes's High C is quite outstanding. Cordially, Ebony 1911

[eflaspo]

Dumpling(s) in love.

But somebody needs to turn up the heat in the oven.

Nevertheless, the high-C is lovely.