Gretry richard coeur de lion crusader

Opera

Grétry's 'Richard Coeur de Lion' is a treasure-trove of delight

October 2019 brought the first performances of Grétry's Richard, Coeur de Lion at Versailles since 1789 (the work was written in 1783); previous to the 2019 Versailles performance, the only Grétry opera I knew was Pierre le Grand, which turned up an Arthaus DVD in 2005 (review).

But the Versailles experience was different.

Gretry richard coeur de lion crusader

Under Hervé Niquet, the music came to life in a totally unexpected way; and here it is, released by the excellent label Château de Versailles Spectacles in luxury packaging (with full libretto and English and German translations).

Born in Liège in 1741, André Ernest Modest Grétry is one of those composers who pretty much slipped under the radar of the 20th century; he composed some 50 operas.

He didn't slip under Beethoven's radar, though, as the Great Man wrote a set of variations on an air from this very opéra. Let's hear