Jean-Marie Leclair: Scylla et Glaucus

Jean-Marie Leclair’s Scylla et Glaucus (Tragedie en un prologue et cinq actes Paris, 1746) provides an excellent opportunity for Gyorgy Vashegyi, a luxury cast and music scholars at the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles to revisit the French Baroque operatic canon and emerge with a fresh new take on this established work, the violin virtuoso and composer’s single offering for the Paris Opera.

For this recording Gyorgy Vashegyi has made use of the original performing manuscript of the batteur de mesure, one consequence being that the dramatic structure of the work is tightened. Here, water-god Glaucus (Cyrille Dubois) convinces the reluctant nymph, Scylla (Judith van Wanroij) of his intentions towards her, but only once he has been to visit the wicked sorceress Circe (Veronique Gens) in search of magical assistance.

A bad move, which culminates in a broken Glaucus looking out over the strait of Sicily towards a newly-formed rock formation… Called Scylla.

Vashegyi’s Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra, and supporting singers, are on hand to do justice to the resulting French Baroque emotional panoply of rustic and demonic dances, welcomed and spurned love arias, and choral and divine interventions.

Performers: Judith van Wanroij; Cyrille Dubois; Veronique Gens; Jehanne Amzal; Hasnaa Bennani; David Witczak; Jozsef Gal and Marton Komaromi with the Purcell Choir, Orfeo Orchestra conducted by Gyorgy Vashegyi