For this weekend

Gluck opera discs are my picks for this week,


Magdaléna Kožená as Orphée, Patricia Petibon as L`Amour, Gardiner, 1999 performance at the Théâtre Musical de Paris.

Iphigenie en Aulide, Lyon Opera Orchestra/ Gardiner.
Gluck's first reform opera for Paris.
Gardiner presses the music forward eagerly and keeps the tension at a high level even in the dance music.

Iphigenie en Tauride, Boston Baroque/ Martin Peralman
Very vivid and dramatic playing.

Orfeo ed Euridice, Freiburg Baroque Opera/ Rene Jacobs
The best version of the Italian original. Jacobs draws the high energy, the sharply defined textures and dynamics.
However it's the singer of Orpheus, even more than the conductor, who gives character to a performance of this work. Bernarda Fink sings the role here very beautifully and quite unaffectedly.

Armide, Les Musiciend du Louvre/ Marc Minkowski.
Minkowski has a tendency towards quickish tempos, resulting in a very light and flexible performance with rhythmic spring.