Rigel : Le souffle de la Révolution Magali Simard-Galdès, Nicholas Scott, Mélisande McNabney, Arion Orchestre Baroque & Mathieu Lussier

• Henri-Joseph Rigel (1741 - 1799): Blanche et Vermeille, comédie pastorale:
• 1Rigel: Blanche et Vermeille, comédie pastorale: Ouverture06:23
• 2Rigel: Blanche et Vermeille, comédie pastorale: "Ruisseau charmant" (Blanche)02:42
• 3Rigel: Blanche et Vermeille, comédie pastorale: "Ici pour la première fois" (Le Prince)04:36
• 4Rigel: Blanche et Vermeille, comédie pastorale: "Je vous entends, infidèle" (Blanche, Colin)03:02
• Concerto for Fortepiano in F Major:
• 5Rigel: Concerto for Fortepiano in F Major: I. Allegro10:56
• 6Rigel: Concerto for Fortepiano in F Major: II. Adagio04:32
• 7Rigel: Concerto for Fortepiano in F Major: III. Presto ma non troppo03:42
• Au fond, pourtant il n’a pas tort" (Charlotte) [Pauline et Henri, trait historique mêlé de musique]:
• 8Rigel: Au fond, pourtant il n’a pas tort" (Charlotte) [Pauline et Henri, trait historique mêlé de musique]02:51
• "C’est la première fois que j’aime" (Edmond) [Alix de Beaucaire, drame lyrique]:
• 9Rigel: "C’est la première fois que j’aime" (Edmond) [Alix de Beaucaire, drame lyrique]02:55
• Symphony in G Major, Op. 12 No 2:
• 10Rigel: Symphony in G Major, Op. 12 No 2: I. Allegro03:40
• 11Rigel: Symphony in G Major, Op. 12 No 2: II. Adagio03:53
• 12Rigel: Symphony in G Major, Op. 12 No 2: III. Presto02:53
• Ah ! quel supplice extrême ! (Pauline) [Pauline et Henri, trait historique mêlé de musique]:
• 13Rigel: "Ah ! quel supplice extrême !" (Pauline) [Pauline et Henri, trait historique mêlé de musique]03:48
• "Quel caprice guide mes traits ?" (Edmond) [Alix de Beaucaire, drame lyrique]:
• 14Rigel: "Quel caprice guide mes traits ?" (Edmond) [Alix de Beaucaire, drame lyrique]04:18
• Trois symphonies pour le clavecin ou le forte-piano, Op. 16, No. 2: Sonata in D Minor:
• 15Rigel: Trois symphonies pour le clavecin ou le forte-piano, Op. 16, No. 2: Sonata in D Minor: I. Allegro molto05:47
• 16Rigel: Trois symphonies pour le clavecin ou le forte-piano, Op. 16, No. 2: Sonata in D Minor: II. Gratioso lento02:43
• 17Rigel: Trois symphonies pour le clavecin ou le forte-piano, Op. 16, No. 2: Sonata in D Minor: III. Presto02:38
• Alix de Beaucaire, drame lyrique:
• 18Rigel: Alix de Beaucaire, drame lyrique: "Ô mon Alix, toi qui m’es chère" (Hugues)03:23
• 19Rigel: Alix de Beaucaire, drame lyrique: "Ô mon ami, c’est ton amour" (Alix, Hugues)04:45
• Total Runtime01:19:27

Info for Rigel : Le souffle de la Révolution

"Performed with a particular refinement and precision, the phrasing always carefully nuanced... a most compelling program."

Following the release of last year's album Les soupers du Roy, Arion Orchestre Baroque presents Rigel: Le souffle de la Revolution, devoted to rarely recorded vocal and instrumental works by classical composer Henri-Joseph Rigel (1741-1799).

Presented as the second project in collaboration with the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (CMBV), the recording features soloists Magali Simard-Galdes (soprano), Nicholas Scott (tenor), and Melisande McNabney (fortepiano), all under the direction of Mathieu Lussier, conductor and artistic director of Arion Orchestre Baroque. Rigel's works include excerpts from the pastoral comedy Blanche et Vermeille, the lyric drama Alix Beaucaire, a Sonata and a Concerto for pianoforte, and the Symphony in G Major, Op. 12, No. 12. All the scores for this recording were edited by Mathieu Lussier and by the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (CMBV).

With support from the Hotel des Menus-Plaisirs de Versailles, this exceptional collaboration between Arion Orchestre Baroque and the CMBV brings together all the skills needed to rediscover and promote French musical heritage of the 17th and 18th centuries.

A cornerstone of Montreal's music scene for over forty years, Arion Baroque Orchestra is a pioneer in the Canadian world of early music on period instruments. Since 2019, bassoonist Mathieu Lussier has been the ensemble's principal conductor and artistic director.

Magali Simard-Galdès, soprano
Nicholas Scott, tenor
Mélisande McNabney, pianoforte
Arion Orchestre Baroque
Mathieu Lussier, conductor

Magali Simard-Galdès
is distinguished by her clear, brilliant and crystalline voice. As the years go by, her vocal uniqueness is defined, expressed and appreciated. Her varied repertoire, from baroque to contemporary music, bears witness to her great musicality. As a performer, Magali stands out for the uniqueness of her stage personality and her in-person charisma. ​

On the operatic stage, she has performed the roles of Agnès (Written on skin), Tytania (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Gilda (Rigoletto), Roxane (Cyrano), Constance (Dialogues des carmélites), Sophie (Werther) and Nicette (Le pré aux clercs). She also has appeared with Vancouver Opera, Oper Köln, Opéra de Montréal, Opéra de Québec and Wexford Festival Opera, among others. ​

In concert, in recent years, the soprano has sung with Les Violons du Roy, Ensemble Caprice, Orchestre Classique de Montréal, Arion Orchestre baroque, National Arts Center Orchestra, Houston Symphony and Atelier lyrique de Tourcoing. ​

On the recording front, she has recently recorded the role of Agnès in Written on Skin with the Gürzenich Orchester for myrios classics, and a Rigel program with Arion Orchestre baroque for ATMA, with forthcoming releases.​ ​

Since the fall of 2022, this committed woman has also been making her voice heard as an environmental columnist on Radio-Canada's ICI première. She holds a master's degree in management and sustainable development from HEC Montréal.

Nicholas Scott
British born Paris based tenor Nicholas Scott studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London, after which he became a member of Les Arts Florissants Young Artists scheme le Jardin des Voix.

Forthcoming and recent highlights include, Bach: Matthaus Passion (Evangelist) with Bach Collegium Japan, Masato Suzuki, Handel: Messiah with Laurence Cummings and The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Monteverdi’s: Selva Morale and Charpentier’s: Magnificat /Messe de Minuit with Les Arts Florissants, William Christie and Paul Agnew, 7 Peccati Capitali and a recording of Monteverdi’s: Orfeo with Cappella Mediterannea and Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, Pagliardi’s opera Caligula (Caligula) and a recording of a programme entitled Breve e la Vita Nostra with La Poeme Harmonique, Howard in Frank Zappa’s: 200 Motels with L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Parque in Rameau’s Hippoltye et Aricie with Zurich Opera and Emmanuelle Haim, a concert of Purcell and Rameau Airs and Arias with Les Ombres, Riga, Bach: Cantatas and Johannes Passion with Damien Guillon and Le Banquet Celeste, Opera de Rennes, Handel’s Airs and Duets with Il Stagioni and Paolo Zanzu, Bach: Cantatas with Ensemble Alia Mens in Salle Bourgie, Montreal, Kurt Weill: Das Berliner Requiem with Joel Suhubiette and Les Passions, Toulouse, Monteverdi: il combattimento and a recording of Lully: Cadmus et Hermione (Dieu Champêtre/ La Nourrice) with Vincent Dumestre and Le Poeme Harmonique, Recording credits include: (Un Jardin á l’Italienne, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie), (Les Maîtres du Motet Français, Les Arts Florissants, Paul Agnew), (Sacrifices, La Nuova Musica, David Bates) (Anamorfosi, Le Poeme Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre).

Nicholas will sing in our Purcell and Charpentier concert in Melbourne and Sydney in September 2020.

Mathieu Lussier
Appointed Artistic Director of Arion Baroque Orchestra in 2019, Mathieu Lussier previously served as Associate Conductor of the chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy from 2012 to 2018, directing the ensemble’s performances throughout Canada and in Mexico, Brazil and the US, and collaborating with artists including Marc-André Hamelin, Alexandre Tharaud, Jeremy Denk, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Philippe Jarrousky, Julia Lezhevna, Anthony Marwood and Karina Gauvin. In 2014, he received the Canada Council for the Arts’ Jean-Marie Beaudet Award for orchestral conducting. As Artistic Director of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival from 2008 to 2014, Mathieu Lussier also led various Canadian ensembles including Arion Baroque Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, I Musici de Montréal, Symphony Nova Scotia (Halifax), Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Drummondville and Sherbrooke symphony orchestras.

For the past 20 years, Mathieu has tirelessly and passionately introduced audiences throughout North America, South America and Europe to the modern and Baroque bassoons as both solo and orchestral instruments. He continues to pursue a career in chamber music with Pentaèdre in Montreal, and was appointed Professor at the Faculty of Music of Université de Montréal in the summer of 2014. A talented communicator known for his humour and eloquence, Mathieu Lussier also served as President of the Conseil québécois de la musique from 2012 to 2015 and as President of CAMMAC from 2015 to 2017. In August 2019, he was named Vice-Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Professorial Affairs and Faculty Life at the Faculty of Music of Université de Montréal.

Mathieu Lussier is also a composer whose catalogue comprises more than 50 works performed regularly in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In 2018, he composed part of the music for the film La chute de l’empire américain by Oscar-winning director Denys Arcand. His works are published by Trevcomusic (US), Accolade (Germany), June Emerson (UK) and Gérard Billaudot (France).

Booklet for Rigel : Le souffle de la Révolution