Lully: Atys [Blu-ray] [2011]

In contrast to most of William Christie's recent productions reviving forgotten gems of early French Baroque opera, this 2011 production of Jean-Baptiste Lully's 1676 opera Atys for the Opéra Comique in Paris is rather more faithful to the period and tradition of the original work than usual - but not slavishly so. Director Jean-Marie Villégier's aims for period authenticity in the set and costume designs, capturing a sense of the elaborate extravagance of the work - in musical as well as in production terms - without going overboard and cluttering the stage with unnecessary props and effects. The costumes are actually those of 17th century nobility, not the robes and tunics of classical antiquity in a pastoral setting that would have been more likely employed for this subject, so the intention is clearly to give a semblance of the opera in its time rather than how it would actually have been staged.

In the same vein, there is just one all-purpose grand palatial room used for all three acts, which gives sufficient room for the large cast of singers, dancers and chorus to play out the comedy, drama and tragedy of the work, conveying everything that is required through the quality of the musical and vocal presentation. The splendour and the sense of the work is thus preserved, without the need for programme footnotes to explain the tradition or make excuses for peculiarities of the production design. The plot and subject seems a typical situation for a long-winded opera seria, but even though Atys does indeed run to some three and a quarter hours with lots of tragic bemoaning of the cruel twists of fate and the unfathomable will of the gods, there's a wonderful continuous flow to the singing which purposefully carries the drama and the inner feelings of the characters forward in an admirably concise and direct fashion. There are no longeurs, despite the length, the opera having a wonderful rhythm and structure of its own, the ariosos varying in pace and being broken up with ballets and the most beautiful choral arrangements. Even little divertissements, such as the prelude and the quite stunning Sleep quartet of Act III ("Dormons, dormons tous") have a dramatic purpose, Le Sommeil arriving to transport Atys to the realm of Cybèle. All of this serves to make Atys dramatically engaging at the same time as being spellbindingly entertaining.

It's not just the interpretation and performance of the music that are successful however, but rather how every element of the production, direction and choreography falls into place with no jarring elements, creating a consistent and fluid dramatic and musical wholeness. It's within that perfect setting that the performance of Stéphanie d'Oustrac stands out all the more vividly like a sparkling jewel (you can see her also in another Christie production of Lully's Armide). Her singing is beautiful, perhaps no more exceptional than the other fine performers in the principal roles, but in her acting, in the rush of emotions that flit across her face and rest in her eyes, she brings that much needed humanity that is essential to prevent the opera being just a dry museum curiosity and instead, as Villégier accurately describes it in the documentary feature, "a catharsis of passions" that is recognisable to any viewer of any age or period. It's all the more impressive that it is a goddess who displays such passions and, likewise, that those all too recognisable human passions can be found in a work that is almost 350 years old.

It's remarkable too how such an old work can look and sound so fresh on the impeccable High Definition presentation of the Blu-ray release. The beautifully lit image captures all the beauty in the detail of the costumes and the production design, allowing the camera to linger on the expressions of the singers at crucial moments. Nothing is missed. The usual PCM stereo and DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 tracks are provided and have a similar crystal clarity with fineness of detail. The surround mix in particular on this release makes great use of the additional spacing and separation of instruments. A two-disc set, disc one contains the entire opera, with disc two given over to an interesting 100-minute documentary reuniting most of the creators involved in the original 1987 production recreated here in 2011. Subtitles are in French, English, German, Spanish and Italian. A very impressive set of a production that (much like Christie's stunning Les Indes galantes) truly deserves to be retained for posterity like this.

This is wonderful music and a very well crafted production, beautifully filmed and with stunning sound quality. I highly recommended this disc.

Everything is perfect about this opera: the singers are excellent, the costumes are wonderful, the music sublime, the stage is elegant and very french. This is total joy. Bernard Richter is a revelation. I have never seen an opera production so perfect in my life.