TV Standard: NTSC
Color: Colour

Credits:

Raphael Pichon, Pygmalion Baroque Ensemble, Lea Desandre, Eva Zaïcik.

Description:

The beginning of opera preceding "Orfeo" by Pichon] Since the Renaissance, the various entertainments held in the Medici Palace in Florence have been famous throughout Europe for their extravagance. In the interludes of these performances, high quality drama combining music and poetry was performed, and the foundation of Italian opera was laid. The successor to this work, with even deeper expression, intrinsic beauty, and a high degree of perfection, is Monteverdi's "Orfeo," composed in 1607. This time, Pichon has chosen a particularly brilliant selection of music from around 1600, and has attempted to recreate the interludes that were performed in the Medici Palace at that time. The recording was made in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, which gives the audience a wonderful sense of being in the midst of the glory of the time.Generally speaking, the history of music tells of the birth of opera around 1600 by the Camerata, a Florentine art fraternity, but this work goes back even further, to the musical interlude "La Pellegrina" at the Medici wedding in 1589, and the program is notable for its assumption that the prehistory of opera began much earlier in the 16th century, with Monteverdi's selections appearing much later. The program is based on the premise that the prehistory of opera began much earlier in the 16th century, and the selection of Monteverdi's music indicates that he appeared after the history of opera had already developed considerably. This is an excellent opportunity to see the story of the birth of opera in a live performance. Naxos Japan