Ensemble Correspondances
and its director,
Sebastien Dauce
, specialize in the music of the French 17th century, most of which qualifies as rare on the face of it. Here, they move into the new area of English music, hardly breaking stride.
Psyche
, which premiered in 1675, is grandly billed here as the "The English Opera," the first one. Charles II, newly on the throne, wanted an English counterpart to the magnificent tragedies-ballets he had seen at the French court. One might think that as such,
would have merited a bigger role in music history, but several obstacles stand in the way of its realization, and this is only the second recording of the work. For one thing, rather than a true opera, it is what the English in the late 17th century called a semi-opera; there are dances, spectacular stage effects, and programmatic instrumental pieces, with relatively few actual arias or tunes. For another, to stage the spare-no-expense spectacles contained herein ("Symphony at the descending of Venus in her chariot drawn by doves") would be a challenge even in our time. Most important of all, the instrumental sections composed by
Giovanni Draghi
(the vocal ones are by
Matthew Locke
) are missing.
Dauce
notes that there are several possible solutions to the problem; rather than using other music by
Draghi
or music by the model for it all,
Lully
,
adapted other instrumental music by
Locke
himself. This works well; the music holds together as a unit.
omits the spoken dialogue, which shortens what is otherwise a massive work but doesn't leave much of a plot. Nevertheless, what's left -- brisk dances, highly descriptive orchestral passages, and some attractive arias -- is plenty entertaining.
's singers, mostly French, may be pegged as indefinably foreign, but there's no issue of a French accent. For those fascinated by the tumultuous English 17th century, this recording from the generation before
Purcell
will be essential, and the album is attractive for anyone. ~ James Manheim