Opéra Comique Collection, Vol. 2 - Bizet: Carmen / Thomas: Hamlet / Messager: Fortunio / Gounod: La nonne sanglante / Delibes: Lakmé
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GEORGES BIZET / AMBROISE THOMAS / ANDRE MESSAGER / CHARLES GOUNOD / LEO DELIBES
Opéra Comique Collection, Vol. 2 - Bizet: Carmen / Thomas: Hamlet / Messager: Fortunio / Gounod: La nonne sanglante / Delibes: Lakmé
Anna Caterina Antonacci, Andrew Richards, Anne-Catherine Gillet, Stéphane Degout, Sabine Devieilhe, Cyrille Dubois, Michael Spyres, etc
[ Naxos DVD / 6 DVD Box Set ]
Release Date: Friday 22 May 2026
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The Opéra Comique in Paris has a long tradition of giving stylish performances dating back to the 18th century. Five imaginative and critically acclaimed productions are featured in this collection of French operatic masterpieces. Bizet's Carmen, which received its premiere at the Opéra Comique in 1875, is performed on period instruments conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet features the stellar French baritone Stéphane Degout in the title role. Messager exemplifies the spirit of La Belle Époch in Fortunio; Gounod fuses Romanticism with the supernatural in La Nonne sanglante; and the outstanding French soprano Sabine Devieilhe takes the lead role in Delibes's tragic tale of passion and loyalty, Lakmé - one of the jewels of the Opéra Comique.
Bizet: Carmen
Anna Caterina Antonacci (soprano), Andrew Richards, Anne-Catherine Gillet (soprano), Nicolas Cavallier, Adrian Noble
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Monteverdi Choir
Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Thomas, Ambroise: Hamlet
Stéphane Degout (baritone), Sabine Devieilhe (soprano), Laurent Alvaro, Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo (mezzo-soprano), Choeur Les Eléments
Orchestre des Champs-Élysées
Louis Langrée
Messager: Fortunio
Cyrille Dubois (tenor), Anne-Catherine Gillet (soprano), Franck Leguerinel, Jean-Sébastien Bou (baritone)
Orchestre des Champs-Élysées
Louis Langrée
Gounod: La nonne sanglante (The Bloody Nun)
Michael Spyres (tenor), Vannina Santoni (soprano), Marion Lebègue, Jodie Devos (soprano)
Insula Orchestra, Accentus
Laurence Equilbey
Delibes: Lakmé
Sabine Devieilhe (soprano), Frédéric Antoun (tenor), Stéphane Degout (baritone), Ambroisine Bré (mezzo-soprano), Ensemble Pygmalion (early music ensemble)
Raphaël Pichon
"Some sopranos would call this a canary role; Devieilhe clearly finds much to relish in it. Her crystalline timbre brings an aptly other-worldly quality to the music, and she blends beautifully with Ambroisine Bré's Mallika in the Flower Duet." Gramophone (Delibes)
"The edition used contains plenty of spoken dialog and some music I've never heard before: a dark bit of orchestral commentary during the card scene, some extra music in Act 1 when the soldiers are observing a loving couple. I did not feel anything revolutionary, but greatly appreciated the entire reading." ClassicsToday (Bizet)
"I cannot emphasize strongly enough the benefit of having a cast of native French singers for all the roles. The sound of the words and the musical style is so innate to these singers that it brings the music and the text to life in ways that other singers simply cannot achieve, no matter how splendid their voice and training. In addition, this is a very attractive cast of singers who actually look believable in their respective roles." MusicWeb (Thomas)
"This 2019 Opéra Comique production delights both visually and musically. The attractive, fin-de-siècle sets and costumes are historically accurate, while Messager's lovely, sentiment-laden score receives spirited performances from the excellent cast, led by the captivating lyric tenor Cyrille Dubois, wrenching emotions as Fortunio." TheWholeNote (Messager)
"Michael Spyres, fresh from tackling Berlioz's Aeneas, manages to keep his voice fresh throughout; and although one might have welcomed some sense of greater lyric warmth between the soft and loud extremes, that is clearly Gounod's fault rather than his." MusicWeb (Gounod)
