Jean-Baptiste Cardonne - Omphale (György Vashegyi)

Information

Composer: Jean-Baptiste Cardonne

• Omphale

Chantal Santon Jeffery

Judith van Wanroij

Reinoud Van Mechelen

Jérôme Boutillier

Jehanne Amzal

Purcell Choir

Orfeo Orchestra

György Vashegyi, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Glossa

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Conductor György Vashegyi has established himself as a leading rediscoverer of neglected French Baroque repertoire, alongside figures such as William Christie and Christophe Rousset. Working from Budapest with the Orfeo Orchestra and Purcell Choir—ensembles largely comprising Hungarian musicians—his work is supported by the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles. This collaboration enables historically informed performances with specialist vocal soloists. A notable example is the Glossa recording of Jean-Baptiste Cardonne’s late Baroque work Omphale, featuring distinguished singers and showcasing the richness of arias, instrumental interludes, and choral writing at the close of the Baroque era.

Jean-Baptiste Cardonne (1730–after 1792) was a French composer, singer, and harpsichordist closely associated with the royal court at Versailles. Born into a household connected to the monarchy, he received early musical training under Colin de Blamont and served in the choir of the royal chapel, where he also played the harpsichord. His first opera, Amaryllis, premiered in 1752. Despite later attempts to establish himself as an opera composer, limited success led him back to court service, culminating in his appointment as maître de la musique du roi in 1780. His fate after the French Revolution remains unknown.

György Vashegyi (b. 1970) is a Hungarian conductor renowned for his contributions to historical performance. A graduate of the Budapest Academy of Music (1993), he was strongly influenced by Helmuth Rilling, John Eliot Gardiner, Malcolm Bilson, and others. In 1991, he founded the Purcell Choir and Orfeo Zenekar, leading numerous opera, oratorio, and orchestral productions, as well as premieres of both Hungarian and international works. With over 30 recordings, he has collaborated closely with the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles since 2014, releasing acclaimed French Baroque projects on Glossa. Vashegyi is an associate professor at the Academy of Music, recipient of the Liszt Award and the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit, and since 2017, president of the Hungarian Academy of Arts.