With Th�s�e, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques continue their tour of Lully's operas, in which they have become specialists. Lully's third musical tragedy, and one of the least recorded, Th�s�e recounts the hero's youth, long before his battle with the Minotaur or his intrigues with Ariadne and Ph�dre. The story takes the listener on a journey through a series of changing settings - from the underworld to the island of paradise, from Versailles to Athens - supported by the incredible vocal eloquence of Lully's music, underpinned by a constant and hitherto unrivalled tension. At the center of the drama, Karine Deshayes sings a flamboyant M�d�e, a pugnacious and tragic figure, guiding the listener through the most enraged opera in Lully's catalogue. Matthias Vidal and Deborah Cachet portray a most poignant Th�s�e/Egl�, giving the duets all their dramatic power. M�d�e's emblematic aria ("D�pit mortel, transport jaloux") alone captures the movement and wizardry that run through the entire work - one of the most captivating achievements of the Sun King's surintendant.
