Rameau: Les Fêtes d'Hebe

Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opéra-ballet Les Fêtes d’Hébé gains a stirring and bright-colored new recording from a starry line-up of soloists, György Vashegyi, his Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra. Though first performed at the end of the 1730s – between the two tragédies of Castor et Pollux and Dardanus – this work has received much less modern recognition for its qualities than either of the other two, although it had a substantial success with its first run of over 70 performances; an entertainment mixing delight and longing, underpinned by Rameau’s coloristic and sophisticated orchestration and coupled with his supremely inspired pastoral writing. Now, with a new edition prepared by Pascal Denécheau (who also writes the booklet essay here),this new production presents modern-day stars of the French Baroque in Chantal Santon Jeffery, Olivia Doray, Judith van Wanroij, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Mathias Vidal and David Witczak, all relishing a libretto (peopled by characters from mythology and