Ariane by Jules Massenet - Interview with Laurent Campellone

'Ariane' by Jules Massenet ‘French opera’ series | volume 37 | 2023 | Bru Zane Label Bilingual CD-book in French and English 3 CDs / book: 168 pages 💿 https://bit.ly/Ariane_ENG Opéra in five acts by Jules Massenet on a libretto by Catulle Mendès, premiered at the Opéra de Paris on 31 October 1906. 🥇 WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING Laurent Campellone, conductor MÜNCHNER RUNDFUNKORCHESTER CHOR DES BAYERISCHEN RUNDFUNKS with Amina Edris, Kate Aldrich, Jean-François Borras, Jean-Sébastien Bou, Julie Robard-Gendre, Marianne Croux, Judith Van Wanroij, Yoann Dubruque and Philippe Estèphe It would be difficult to find a simpler and more poignant subject,” admitted Jules Massenet while working on Ariane, a vast score in 5 acts which premiered at the Paris Opéra in October 1906. Combining ancient drama with a Symbolist poem, the libretto violently pits against each other two sisters, Phèdre and Ariane, both of whom are in love with Thésée. This spectacular opera narrates the fight against the Minotaur, shows a boat battered by the raging seas, and even transports the audience to the Underworld where Perséphone is queen. Despite its flamboyant orchestration, impressive staging and triumphant premiere, Ariane had remained until now one of the very few operas by Massenet never to have been recorded. In the title role, the young Egyptian soprano Amina Edris gives a performance full of fire and passion, and she is ably supported by a cast well-versed in the specificities of the French style. The Bavarian Radio Choir provides the choruses in the epic scenes, and the Munich Radio Orchestra is conducted by a great champion of Massenet’s works, Laurent Campellone. Recording at the Prinzregententheater (Munich) on 27 and 29 January 2023.