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Donizetti: Les Martyrs

Michael Spyres (Polyeucte), Joyce El-Khoury (Pauline), David Kempster (Sévère), Brindley Sherratt (Félix), Clive Bayley (Callisthènes), Wynne Evans (Néarque)

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Sir Mark Elder

Donizetti: Les Martyrs

Awards:

galvanising, period-instrument playing...Spyres sings stylishly as Polyeucte...Joyce El-Khoury is his silvery-toned Pauline.

Financial Times, 2nd May 2015

More reviews

Donizetti: Les Martyrs

Michael Spyres (Polyeucte), Joyce El-Khoury (Pauline), David Kempster (Sévère), Brindley Sherratt (Félix), Clive Bayley (Callisthènes), Wynne Evans (Néarque)

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Sir Mark Elder

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Awards:

galvanising, period-instrument playing...Spyres sings stylishly as Polyeucte...Joyce El-Khoury is his silvery-toned Pauline.

Financial Times, 2nd May 2015

More reviews

About

A tragic tale of Christian martyrdom, Les Martyrs began its life as Poliuto, Donizetti’s Italian opera which – due to its religious content – was banned before its Naples premiere. Greatly angered by the Italian censors’ decision, Donizetti moved to Paris in the hope of conquering the Opéra de Paris and securing his status as a composer of international repute.

Les Martyrs brings together Opera Rara and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment for their fourth collaboration. Sir Mark Elder conducts an outstanding cast featuring Michael Spyres and Joyce El-Khoury in the central roles. They are joined by David Kempster, Wynne Evans, Brindley Sherratt and Clive Bayley.

Please note that this reissue does not include libretto and translations - these are available to download from the Opera Rara website

  • Release date: 2nd Sep 2016
  • Label: Opera Rara
  • Catalogue number: ORC352
  • Length: 3 hours 7 minutes
  • Genre:

Contents and tracklist

Donizetti: Les Martyrs
Work length3:07:26
Act I: Overture
Track length9:19
Act I Scene 1: Amis … silence … Du silence ! (Chorus)
Track length4:01
Act I Scene 1: Arretons-nous, Polyeucte (Nearque, Polyeucte)
Track length5:05
Act I Scene 1: Que l'onde salutaire, S'epanche sur mon front! (Polyeucte)
Track length2:03
Act I Scene 1: Viens, suis-moi … (Nearque)
Track length0:17
Act I Scene 3: Que viens-tu nous apprendre? (Nearque, The Christian, Polyeucte)
Track length1:50
Act I Scene 4: Eloignez de ces lieux, Ce garde, que Felix nous donna pour escorte! (Pauline)
Track length3:52
Act I Scene 4: Jeune souveraine, O puissante reine (Chorus)
Track length3:24
Act I Scene 5: Allez ! laissez-moi maintenant (Pauline)
Track length1:04
Act I Scene 5: Toi qui lis dans mon coeur, o ma mere! (Pauline)
Track length1:57
Act I Scene 5: Qu'ici ta main glacee, Benisse ton enfant! (Pauline)
Track length2:57
Act I Scene 5: O Dieu tutelaire! O toi, notre pere! (Chorus, Pauline)
Track length2:15
Act I Scene 6: Pauline! … avec effroi et ne pouvant en croire ses yeux Mon epoux! (Polyeucte, Pauline, Chorus, Nearque, The Christian)
Track length4:40
Act I Scene 6: Quel danger nous menace, et d'ou vient ta terreur? (Nearque, The Christian, Polyeucte)
Track length1:40
Act I Scene 6: Objet de ma constance, Amour de ton epoux (Polyeucte, Pauline, Nearque, Chorus)
Track length3:30
Act II Scene 1: Achevez ! Pollion, transcrivez ces edits (Felix)
Track length1:36
Act II Scene 1: Dieux des Romains, dieux de nos peres, Je servirai votre courroux! (Felix)
Track length3:42
Act II Scene 2: Viens, ma fille; je sais que ta pieuse haine (Felix, Pauline)
Track length2:26
Act II Scene 2: Mort a ces infames, Livrez aux flammes (Felix, Chorus)
Track length1:31
Act II Scene 2: Tout mon sang se glace, La mort le menace! (Pauline, Felix, Chorus)
Track length2:07
Act II Scene 3: D'ou te vient, mon enfant, cette sombre tristess (Felix, Pauline)
Track length1:35
Act II Scene 4: Deja l'on voit au loin, dans nos immenses plaines (Callisthenes, Felix)
Track length1:41
Act II Scene 4: Severe existe! … Un dieu sauveur, Des sombres bords un dieu l'envoie! (Pauline)
Track length3:10
Act II Scene 5: Gloire a vous, Mars et Bellonne! (Chorus)
Track length5:26
Act II Scene 5: Valeureux habitants de l'antique Armenie, Je viens dans vos cites, au nom de l'empereur (Severe)
Track length1:30
Act II Scene 5: Amour de mon jeune age, Toi dont la douce image (Severe)
Track length2:43
Act II Scene 6: C'est son pere! (Severe)
Track length0:27
Act II Scene 6: Les dieux ont conserve des jours si precieux! (Felix)
Track length1:14
Act II Scene 6: Danses: Lutte des Gladiateurs
Track length3:40
Act II Scene 6: Danses: Pas de deux
Track length5:02
Act II Scene 6: Danses: Danse Militaire
Track length8:44
Act II Scene 6: De Decius, notre souverain maitre (Felix, Severe)
Track length2:19
Act II Scene 7: Soutenez-moi! Divinite supreme! (Pauline, Severe)
Track length1:54
Act II Scene 7: Voila le proconsul, ce guerrier magnanime (Polyeucte, Severe, Pauline)
Track length1:15
Act II Scene 8: O blasphemes nouveaux! (Callisthenes, Polyeucte, Severe, Pauline)
Track length1:24
Act II Scene 8: Dieu puissant qui voit mon zele, Que ta foi regne en son coeur (Polyeucte, Pauline, Severe, Callisthenes, Felix, Chorus)
Track length4:37
Act III Scene 1: Dieux immortels, temoins de mes justes alarmes (Pauline, Severe)
Track length4:36
Act III Scene 1: En touchant a ce rivage, Tout m'offrait la douce image (Severe, Pauline)
Track length5:22
Act III Scene 1: Ne vois-tu pas, qu'helas ! mon coeur Succombe et cede a sa douleur! (Pauline, Severe)
Track length3:59
Act III Scene 2: C'est Polyeucte! … mon epoux! (Pauline, Polyeucte)
Track length2:11
Act III Scene 2: Mon seul tresor, mon bien supreme (Polyeucte)
Track length4:17
Act III Scene 3: O mon fils! … ce guerrier, cet ami si fidele (Felix, Polyeucte, Pauline)
Track length2:17
Act III Scene 4: Oui, j'irai dans leurs temples! Bientot tu m'y verras (Polyeucte)
Track length2:54
Act III Scene 5: Dieu du tonnerre, Ton front severe Emeut la terre (Callisthenes, Chorus)
Track length5:11
Act III Scene 5: A tes pieds, proconsul, on traine la victime! (Callisthenes, Severe, Nearque, Pauline)
Track length1:37
Act III Scene 5: Quoi! des dieux la voix sainte (Severe, Callisthenes, The Priest, Pauline, Polyeucte, All)
Track length2:08
Act III Scene 5: Jusqu'au sein du sanctuaire, Le parjure qu'il profere (Severe, Callisthenes, Felix, Chorus, Pauline, Polyeucte, Nearque)
Track length4:34
Act III Scene 5: Lui-meme a voulu son supplice (Felix, Pauline, Callisthenes, Chorus, Polyeucte, Severe, Nearque)
Track length2:08
Act III Scene 5: Je crois en Dieu, roi du ciel et de la terre (Polyeucte, Pauline, Severe, Felix, Callisthenes, Chorus)
Track length3:38
Act IV Scene 1: L'arret est prononce, tous chretiens (Felix, Pauline) - Scene 2: Le peuple s'indigne et murmure (Severe, Felix, Pauline)
Track length2:04
Act IV Scene 2: Oui, par la foi juree, Par ton ancien amour (Pauline, Felix, Severe)
Track length1:57
Act IV Scene 2: O devouement sublime! (Pauline, Severe, Felix)
Track length2:18
Act IV Scene 2: Oui, venez arracher Polyeucte au trepas! (Severe, Felix, Pauline)
Track length1:28
Act IV Scene 2: Leur voix immortelle Rechauffe mon zele (Felix, Pauline, Severe, Chorus)
Track length3:06
Act IV Scene 3: Sur un nuage d'or s'elevant vers le ciel! (Polyeucte) - Scene 4: Oui, c'est lui que je vois! … (Pauline, Polyeucte)
Track length4:52
Act IV Scene 4: Seigneur, de vos bontes il faut que je l'obtienne! (Polyeucte, Pauline)
Track length1:23
Act IV Scene 4: Pour toi, ma priere, Ardente et sincere (Pauline, Polyeucte)
Track length3:28
Act IV Scene 4: Miracle soudain … Lumiere immortelle (Pauline, Polyeucte)
Track length2:48
Act IV Scene 4: O sainte melodie! (Pauline, Polyeucte)
Track length2:32
Act IV Scene 5: Il nous faut et des jeux et des fetes (Chorus)
Track length1:11
Act IV Scene 5: Au peuple impatient nous devons ce spectacle (Callisthenes, Severe, Felix, Chorus)
Track length1:40
Act IV Scene 6: Grands dieux! (Severe, Felix, Pauline, All)
Track length4:50
Act IV Scene 6: Ah ! voici le signal du supplice! (Chorus, Polyeucte, Pauline, Severe, Felix, Callisthenes, Nearque, The Christian)
Track length3:00

Spotlight on this release

Awards and reviews

2nd May 2015

galvanising, period-instrument playing...Spyres sings stylishly as Polyeucte...Joyce El-Khoury is his silvery-toned Pauline.

Elder’s conducting is limpid and flexible, the rubato natural and seductive...Spyres offers plenty of bel canto style and beautifully schooled phrasing...[El-Khoury's] performance as Pauline is hardly less remarkable, and tireless in bringing the character to life. Doubts remain about the work itself, but there’s little doubting Opera Rara’s achievement in letting us hear it sound so thrillingly fresh.

May 2015

The drama and tension [Elder] builds in the concluding act in this performance is awesome. He inspires soloists and chorus to marvellous effect that convinces me that it is among the finest music Donizetti wrote.

June 2015

informed above all by Mark Elder's combination of baton mastery and missionary zeal...[Spyres is] noble and radiant of tenor timbre, unfailingly both strong and sensitive in his delivery of the text...what counts is the impact of the whole - and that is tremendous.

4th May 2015

[Spyres] commands absolute attention from his very first phrase...he packs a voice with real heroic ring and tremendous facility in the stratosphere...el-Khoury is equally fine as his conflicted wife Pauline, singing with tireless passion and pathos.

4th July 2015

The performance by Opera Rara is excellent. Mark Elder is one of the great champions of this composer’s music, and he and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment interpret it with a blazing conviction that rises to the classically majestic...the outstanding contribution comes from Michael Spyres, singing with virtuosic bravado as the heroic convert.
4 out of 5 stars

1st May 2015

Elder reveals a new side to a composer too often seen as a purveyor of generic bel canto rum-ti-tum...the superb playing of the OAE, the vibrant Opera Rara chorus and the fine cast make you believe it. Spyres is terrific and Joyce El-Khoury is a heartfelt, stylish Pauline.
4 out of 5 stars

Classics Today

I suspect we will never hear a better performance of this opera...The Polyeucte of Michael Spyres is remarkable...clarion top, appealing tone, styles both exclamatory and tender are ideal for the part...[El-Khoury] has a fine, big lyric voice, at ease with the coloratura she’s given, fluent in cantilena, dramatically on-the-money.

The Independent on Sunday 3rd May 2015

Spyres sings the hugely demanding role of [Polyeucte], with Joyce El-Khoury lovely as his distraught wife Pauline and Brindley Sherratt profound as his father-in-law Felix...A musical landmark.
4 out of 5 stars

Opera Now May 2015

Elder conducts with fervour, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment plays superbly and the cast is excellent...[Spyres and El-Khoury] are thrilling, especially the soprano's ascents to some elegantly spun pianissimi. David Kempster's Sévère is confident, Brindley Sherratt's Félix smooth...No mauling here, this is a first-rate recording.
5 out of 5 stars
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