The pastoral tragedy Acis et Galatée was Lully's last finished work, a three-act extravaganza complete with an opening Prologue, a closing Passacaglia, and assorted dances interspersed throughout. In the right performance, it is at once an inspiring work, a relaxing work, and even an entertaining work -- and this performance by the Choeurs des Musiciens du Louvre led by
Marc Minkowski is surely the right performance. With a superlative cast including the powerfully persuasive
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt and the charmingly compelling
Véronique Gens in the title roles, plus the characterful
Laurent Naouri as Polyphéme,
Minkowski captures, contains, and controls all the many elements of the work -- its nobility, its sensuality, its lyricism, its drama, and even its humor -- and expresses them as aspects of a single, unified art work. With clean, cool, and crystalline sound from Archiv, Acis et Galatée receives a production that will no doubt thrill fans of the genre in general and fans of the composer in particular. And for fans who don't already know either the genre or the composer, this is an ideal place to start.