Charpentier. David & Jonathas. Les Arts Florissant

Monique Zanetti (soprano), Gerard Lesne (counter-tenor), Jean-Paul Fouchecourt (tenor), Les Arts Florissants, William Christie

Composed by: CHARPENTIER, M.A.

David & Jonathas

In spite of its sub-title of "tragedie biblique," David et Jonathas is by no means an oratorio. But if it seems to be more of an opera, this "psychological drama" is everything but a tragedie lyrique, as it was conceived and popularized by Lully. With a prologue totally integrated into the rest of the work, and a virtually immobile stage action, almost devoid of recitative, Charpentier here succeeds in creating a counter-proposition to the Lullian model. His contemporaries praised the work as a masterpiece by the most "Italian" of French composers. This reissue features the great William Christie leading his ensemble Les Arts Florissants in a benchmark recording of Charpentier's masterpiece, first offered in 1988.