Presented in concert in Strasbourg in April 2017, this bold performance of Hector Berlioz's chef-d'oeuvre, Les Troyens, is an important achievement in the up-and-down history of this five-act opera. Though Les Troyens suffered numerous cuts in its early years, and was divided by Berlioz into two shorter works, La prise de Troie and Les Troyens à Carthage, much of the music was cut, including the famous ballet, Royal Hunt and Storm, and Berlioz died without ever hearing the opera in its entirety. Performed here by the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg under John Nelson, and featuring mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as Dido, Queen of Carthage, tenor Michael Spyres as Aeneas, and coloratura contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieu as Cassandra, this live performance delivers Les Troyens complete and uncut, with every note in place, making it something of a rarity among recorded versions. The score is compelling, poignantly emotional, and grand, conceived in the same Romantic operatic tradition that inspired Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, and even though Berlioz doesn't take four evenings to tell his version of Virgil's Aeneid, Les Troyens has a similar epic sweep in recounting the epic tale of four ancient city-states, and may well remind listeners of the Ring in its elaborate orchestration and the technical demands on the singers. Yet this presentation on four CDs and a DVD of highlights is quite enjoyable and well suited for home listening, and the music constantly surprises and charms, despite the heftiness of the drama as a whole. Highly recommended for Berlioz fans and adventurous opera lovers.
© TiVo