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The cast of L'Olimpiade with Les Talens Lyriques at the Royal Opera of Versailles | Photo: Nicky Thomas Media

Paris hosting the 2024 Olympic Games presents a golden opportunity to explore the many settings of Pietro Metastasio’s famed libretto L'Olimpiade. A story that surrounds the betrothal of the king’s daughter, Aristea, to the winner of the Olympic Games, its complexity is in Megacle competing secretly on behalf of Licida, Aristea’s own desires, and the King’s shadowy history of abandoning one of his sons due to an oracle’s warning.

Written for Caldera and perhaps best known for Vivaldi’s setting, it was a gem for baroque composers to explore nobility, valour and passion. Domenico Cimarosa’s setting is lesser known, which makes it a perfect piece to be presented by Les Talens Lyriques in the exquisite setting of the Château de Versailles.

Christophe Rousset not only has a particular interest in Neapolitan repertoire from the 18th Century, but, with Les Talens Lyriques, specialises in rare and underperformed repertoire, making this a unique opportunity to be exposed to something outside of the standard repertoire.

Presented in a concert setting, the audience was able to focus solely on the brilliance of the technical virtuosity required and appreciate the specialised expertise Les Talens Lyriques possesses in period productions.

The singers displayed great determination, stamina and focus. Maité Beaumont as Megacle portrayed the depth of the character's dilemma with a stalwart presence in her physical stillness as her warm and resonant voice worked through the virtuosity required. Her duets with Rocío Pérez (Aristea) were at times thrilling, as they found moments of tenderness in the unrelenting passages. Pérez had the most difficult task as far as complexity, and delighted the audience with her upper register. Her performance was sincere, and had a bell-like quality in her precision that persisted throughout. A highlight was the communication in her duet with the oboist Patrick Beaugirard, whose solo was as captivating as any vocal line on stage.

Alex Banfield as Aminta was an extremely pleasant addition, his arias were presented with confidence and skilled storytelling, however he was at times overpowered by the orchestra. Josh Lovell approached the work with equal enthusiasm, and was able to use his buttery middle voice and exciting high register to portray the nobility of the king, alongside humanity in the mercy granted at the end. Marie Lys as Argene was full of character, and though at times felt slightly rushed, was able to show the depth and weight of her rather sumptuous voice, without sacrificing the light agility. A vocal highlight was Mathilde Ortscheidt, an extremely polished performer with gravitas on stage and was thoroughly vocally unfaltering. Her characterisation was fully realised, and all performers were entertaining to watch, a challenge for concert performances.

At the time of its premiere, L’Olimpiade was written for the most skilled voices of the age, trained exactly in this style of repertoire. With pieces such as this, singers in the contemporary age have a tremendous task of comprehending the baroque performance practices, alongside colouratura that would appear un-singable on the page. At times the piece seemed slightly beyond their capabilities, as it would be for most contemporary singers, however their commitment to the performance and massive amounts of preparation ensured that the entire audience remained captivated.

operaroyal-versailles.fr/en | lestalenslyriques.com