Monteverdi: L'orfeo / Agnew, Les Arts Florissants

Following on logically from his complete cycle of Monteverdi madrigals, Paul Agnew – here both conductor and stage director – presents his intimate and ‘sacred’ version of the composer’s first opera (and the first great opera in musical history). In a fine collective spirit, the singers and instrumentalists of Les Arts Florissants participate in the drama on equal terms, mingling in a single set that gives increased prominence to the (masterly) lighting and to the protagonists (overwhelmingly moving in their restrained movements and expressions): we are transported to the very heart of Monteverdi’s masterpiece, as if we had fallen into a painting by Nicolas Poussin, caught up in the mystical adventure of two lovers more mythical than ever.

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REVIEWS:

Echoing performance practice from Monteverdi’s day, instrumentalists are integrated into the action…Their direct interaction with the singers produces an intimate, chamber-like performance.

– BBC Music Magazine

The Act V apotheosis has rarely seemed as touching and convincing as it does here.

– Gramophone