Desmarest / Campra: Iphigenia in Tauris

Almost a century before Glück, another opera with the title "Iphigénie en Tauride" - same plot, same protagonists - enjoyed great success on the operatic stage. This "first" Iphigénie has a rather curious history. The composer Henri Desmarest designed the opera around 1695, but was then banished from France by Louis XIV because he had married a young girl without her father's consent. The unfinished score of Iphigénie was subsequently entrusted to André Campra. The opera, which had been lost and forgotten since then, was rediscovered by Benoît Dratwicki, the director of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, who marvels at the stylistic unity of the opera: "Campra adopted Desmarest's style without any difficulty. He merely added a few virtuosic arias and the melodious choruses that were his specialty to the divertissements. The premiere of "Iphigénie en Tauride" took place on May 6, 1704, and was revived throughout Europe from 1711 onwards. Thanks to Hervé Niquet, a first-rate team of singers, an orchestra familiar with the French repertoire, and the joint exploration of the practices and specific performance techniques of the early 18th century, this opera now sees the light of day for a second time.