Lully · Molière – Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme

“Diapason d’Or” by Diapason Magazine

“(…) A work of goldsmith coupled with a luxury cast (…)”. Marc Dumont, Première Loge

“(…) Fine and committed, Le Poème Harmonique expresses this comic and dramatic overkill, this great poetic and satirical chaos, both free and delirious, which is at the source of the French Baroque. Irresistible. All the more welcome for the 400th anniversary of Molière’s birth in January 2022”, Lucas Irom, ClassiqueNews

In 1670, Molière and Lully presented Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme to the King, a sumptuous Comédie-Ballet conducted by Molière’s Troupe, with musicians conducted by Lully, ballets by Pierre Beauchamp, sets by Carlo Vigarani and Turkish costumes by the Chevalier d’Arvieux. The work was inspired by the ambassador Soliman Musta Aga-Feraga, whom Louis XIV had just made wait for long weeks before receiving him, causing his annoyance which made the King smile and the courtiers jeer, the whole of Paris mocking the exotic morals of the envoys of the Great Turk. Molière came up with the idea of a plot based on fake Turks, to ridicule a bourgeois aspiring to nobility: a masterpiece was born, with the dazzling Cérémonie Turque, and to close, a sumptuous Ballet des Nations. The magnificent music of this pillar of French theatre is here recorded in its entirety for the first time by Vincent Dumestre: Gloire à Lully et Molière!

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Cast :

Paul-Antoine BENOS DJIAN, countertenor The Music Master’s Pupil
Eva ZAÏCIK, mezzo-soprano La Musicienne
Cyril AUVITY, tenor The First Musician, The First Poitevin
Thibault DE DAMAS, bass The Second Musician, The Third Cook
Nicholas SCOTT, tenor The First Cook
Zachary WILDER, tenor Le Second Cuisinier, Le Premier Gascon, Le Second Poitevin, La Vieille Bourgeoise Babillarde
Virgile ANCELY, bass Le Mufti, Le Premier Espagnol enjoué, Homme du Bel Air
Serge GOUBIOUD, tenor Le Deuxième Espagnol enjoué, Le Second Gascon
Claire LEFILLIATRE, soprano La Femme du Bel Air, La Musicienne Italienne
Marc MAUILLON, baritone Le Vieux Bourgeois Babillard
David TRICOU, tenor Le Premier Espagnol plaintif

LE POEME HARMONIQUE
Vincent DUMESTRE, conductor

Fiona-Émilie POUPARD (solo), Simon PIERRE, Camille AUBRET, Myriam MAHNANE, Paul-Marie BEAUNY, Sandrine DUPÉ, violin dessus
Alain PEGEOT, Tiphaine COQUEMPOT, Sophie Iwamura, treble violin
Pierre VALLET, Delphine MILLOUR, violin tailles
Mathias FERRE, Salomé GASSELIN, Andreas Linos, violin fifths
Lucas PERES, Cyril POULET, Keiko GOMI, violin basses
Etienne GALLETIER, theorbo, guitar
Camille DELAFORGE, harpsichord
Pierre BORAGNO, flutes, musette, drum
Elsa FRANK, Sophie REBREYEND, oboes, recorders
Isaure LAVERGNE, Jérémie PAPASERGIO, bassoons, recorders, flageolets
Joël GRARE, percussion