ANDRÉ CARDINAL DESTOUCHES (1672-1749): Sémiramis.

Description: Sémiramis tortured by Zoroastre’s spells, violence, incest, murder and magnificence: this is one of the most astonishing tragédies-lyriques! Destouches’ first operatic work, Issé, triumphed in 1697 in the presence of Louis XIV. Twenty years later, his last, Sémiramis (1718), is of great dramatic force, portraying the fatal destiny of the Queen of Babylon who, fearing the prophecy of a son who would lead her to death, abandoned him at birth. Destouches calls upon striking effects that make his final work a veritable torrent of passion. 2 CDs. French-English libretto. Éléonore Pancrazi (mezzo), Emmanuelle De Negri (soprano), Mathias Vidal (tenor), Thibault de Damas (baritone), Chœur du Concert Spirituel, Les Ombres; Sylvain Sartre.