Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion Le Concert Spirituel & Hervé Niquet

• André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (1741 - 1813): Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I:
• 1Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: I. Ouverture et Introduction01:24
• 2Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: II. Un peu plus vite, "Chantons célébrons ce bon ménage"02:01
• 3Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: III. Plus lent, "Comment ! C'est demain que le vieux Mathurin..."03:16
• 4Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: IV. Air de Blondel, "La danse n'est pas ce que j'aime"02:52
• 5Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: V. Air, "Ô Richard, Ô mon Roi !"03:10
• 6Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: VI. Morceau d'ensemble, "Quoi, de la part du gouverneur"07:31
• 7Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: VII. Air de Laurette, "Je crains de lui parler la"03:51
• 8Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: VIII. Chanson, "Un bandeau couvre les yeux du dieu"03:51
• 9Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: IX. Orchestre01:15
• 10Richard Cœur de lion, Acte I: X. Chanson, "Que le sultan Saladin rassemble dans son jardin"04:42
• Richard Cœur de lion, Acte II:
• 11Richard Cœur de lion, Acte II: I. Ronde de Nuit01:57
• 12Richard Cœur de lion, Acte II: II. Air de Richard, "Si l'univers entier m'oublie"05:55
• 13Richard Cœur de lion, Acte II: III. Duo, "Une fièvre brûlante un jour me terrassait"02:10
• 14Richard Cœur de lion, Acte II: IV. Chœur de Soldats, "Sais-tu, connais-tu"04:15
• 15Richard Cœur de lion, Acte II: V. Final, "Ah ! Monseigneur"01:55
• Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III:
• 16Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: I. Trio, "Il faut il faut que je lui parle"04:09
• 17Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: II. Morceau d'ensemble, "Oui chevalier, oui ce rempart tient prisonnier le roi Richard"06:01
• 18Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: III. Trio, "A Florestan pendant la danse"02:36
• 19Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: IV. Ronde et Chœur, "Et zic et zic et fric et froc"01:05
• 20Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: V. On danse, Ballet01:02
• 21Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: VI. Contredanse et Air très vif pour valser01:41
• 22Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: VII. Chœur, "Que Richard à l'instant soit remis dans nos mains"00:30
• 23Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: VIII. Combat01:45
• 24Richard Cœur de lion, Acte III: IX. Marche noblement04:25
• Total Runtime01:13:19

Info for Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion

"Let's face it, this book is a series of successes at all levels.

A delightful comic opera whose romance will be on the lips of the whole of France, it is one of the first historical operas with a "rescue" at the heart of the work that will be copied many times during romanticism. It contains scenes of battles, crowds, frantic dances, in a medieval setting so exotic at the end of the 18th century! And no longer about the love stories of spoiled gods or bewitched princesses, but about a moment of history where all social classes are involved.

In short, it is a French musical comedy that will remain in the repertoire until recently. Everything is there: colourful orchestra, distinctive roles, energetic choirs, dramatic efficiency, lightness on a well built structure. This Grétry is a master in the art of capturing an audience. Laughter and emotion are mixed, simplicity and virtuosity. I fear that we will have a lot of fun performing this comic opera, because all the trades are at work, from carpenter to choir member, from dancer to costume designer, from accessoirist to diva.

A very good show in a historic building. We're going to have fun." (Hervé Niquet)

Karine Deshayes, soprano
Maria Riccarda Wesseling, mezzo-soprano
Sébastien Guèze, tenor
Tassis Christoyannis, baritone
Matthieu Heim, baritone
Élodie Hache, soprano
Edmond Hurtrait, tenor
Le Ballet de l’Opéra Royal
Le Concert Spirituel Choeur et orchestre
Hervé Niquet, direction

Hervé Niquet
follows the example of baroque musicians in his versatility. In addition to his ability as a keyboard-player, conductor and composer, he also studied singing and from the age of seventeen turned his attention to the establishment and direction of choirs. In 1980 he was appointed chef de chant at the Paris Opéra National. In 1985 he was commissioned by Princess Caroline of Monaco to write an orchestral work and ballet inspired by a novel of Stefan Zweig for the reopening of the Monte Carlo Ballet.

Shaped by participation in the principal baroque ensembles, Hervé Niquet has developed an affinity with the French grand motet of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and to revive this still relatively little-known repertoire he established in 1988 Le Concert Spirituel, thus bringing to life again one of the most famous musical institutions of the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI.

Increasingly in demand as a conductor, Hervé Niquet has appeared at the Baroque Music Festival of Lamèque in Canada, in addition to other engagements as a conductor in France.

Le Concert Spirituel
was the first company to perform private concerts in France. Founded in the eighteenth century, it closed with the outbreak of French Revolution. Its name was revived by Hervé Niquet when he founded his ensemble of ancient instruments in 1987, bringing back to life the great French repertoire played at the court of Versailles. In this spirit, Le Concert Spirituel collaborates closely with the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles and is devoted to airing the works of the great composers of French musical heritage, from Charpentier to Lully, by ways of Campra or Boismortier.

Expanding its repertoire to Italian, English and other masters, Le Concert Spirituel has made a name for itself on the national and international stage as one of the authoritative ensembles for the interpretation of Baroque music. Guest to the Salle Pleyel, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Château de Versailles each year, Le Concert Spirituel is also invited at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, London’s Barbican Center and Wigmore Hall, at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Prom’s, at the Luxemburg Philharmonie, Tokyo Opera, BOZAR in Brussels, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Shanghai Concert Hall, and Theater an der Wien etc.

Hervé Niquet is proud to assemble an orchestra of keen musicians who interpret music, make instruments and conduct historical researches. This dynamic confederation provides for a "team ethic" which enables the realization of projects that are on the cutting edge of the latest discoveries in interpretation on period instruments. The Fireworks & Water Music production, whose recording received the Edison Award, is typical of this work.

While Le Concert Spirituel specializes in French sacred music and is recognized the world over for its work on this repertoire, an important part of its activity is also devoted to lyrical music. The ensemble unveiled works that received the most prestigious international awards : Marais's Sémélé was voted « Opera Recording of the Year » by the ECHO Klassik Awards in 2009, Grétry's Andromaque was awarded a “Grand Prix – Académie du disque Charles Cros” in 2010, and Campra’s Carnaval de Venise lately received the Supersonic Award and German Record Critic’s Award in 2011.

These musical adventures were also the opportunity to work with directors and choreographers as diverse as Gilles and Corinne Benizio (alias Shirley & Dino), Karol Armitage, Georges Lavaudant,and Joachim Schloemer. This process involving French operas has given birth to a collection of book-CD's in collaboration with the label Glossa (distributed by Harmonia Mundi), with whom Le Concert Spirituel has an exclusive recording engagement since 2000.

In 2013-2014, Le Concert Spirituel had scheduled a series of events: a European tour with Striggio’s Mass for 40 voices in Paris, Utrecht, Bremen, Bruxelles and Metz, a unique re-creation of the French version of Mozart’s La Flûte Enchantée at Salle Pleyel in Paris, a new production of Rameau’s Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Opéra royal de Versailles and the Palais de Beaux-Arts of Bruxelles (250th death anniversary of Rameau), the production of Purcell’s King Athur (stage directors Corinne and Gilles Benizio alias Shirley et Dino) at the Opéra de Massy, a production of Purcell’s The Indian Queen (stage director Joachim Schloemer) at the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz.

Le Concert Spirituel, in residence at the Opéra-Théatre de Metz Métropole and the Arsenal de Metz - Metz en Scènes, is funded by the Ministry for the Arts and the Communication and the City of Paris. Le Concert Spirituel is funded by the Fondation Bru.

Booklet for Grétry: Richard Cœur de Lion