Though less popular than the Italian version, the French version of Gluck's Orphée has been recorded many times. But most of those recordings are hybrid versions using the original Italianate vocal casting, with the character of Orphée sung by a female voice or countertenor. But that isn't the case here.
Marc Minkowski has chosen the 1774 Paris version, in which Orphée was rewritten for an haute-contre, or very high tenor. Hearing a male voice, in this case the capable Richard Croft, in the part gives the opera an entirely different feel, and the result rivals the more familiar Italianate version for effectiveness and beauty. Although cobbled together from live recordings from June 2002, the dramatic flow of the recording is excellent, and the sound quality, musical polish, and performances are near studio-perfect.
Croft handles the high tessitura of Orphée respectably, and his "L'espoir renaît dans mon âme" from the end of Act I -- full of furious running notes and ornamentation -- is full-on exciting. It might be hard for some to adjust to the sound of a tenor in the famous "J'ai perdu mon Eurydice" (known in the Italian version as "Che faro senza Euridice") since it has been sung so beautifully by contraltos over the years, but Croft captures a touching sadness in the piece. In an inspired move,
Minkowski cast the teenaged Marion Harousseau in the role of L'amour. A capable young singer who handles the role commendably, she nevertheless still sounds very young, and the effect is charming.
Mireille Delunsch makes the most of Eurydice, bringing a dramatic immediacy and clear voice to Act III.
Minkowski leads a rhythmically propulsive, beautifully textured, and colorful performance from Les Musiciens du Louvre.