Credits:

Nicolas Achten (harpsichord, conductor)

Description:

[Charpentiers one-act opera, rich in dramatic twists and turns. A new recording featuring previously unreleased versions!]*Acton*, a masterpiece pastoral opera by the 17th-century French master Charpentier, whothough unable to secure a position directly under the Sun King, Louis XIV, due to the machinations of Lully, the Kings Director of Royal Musicnonetheless blossomed as a composer of theatrical music within those constraints. Although written for a small chamber ensembleunlike Lully, who enjoyed the privilege of using a full orchestrathe work condenses dramatic intensity into its brief duration, making for a truly compelling listening experience. It premiered in the spring of 1684 at the residence of its patron, Marie, daughter of the Duke of Lorraine-Guise, and a revised version was performed just a few months later. The role of Actonthe tragic hero w