Tommaso Traetta - Ifigenia in Tauride (Christophe Rousset)

Information

Composer: Tommaso Traetta

• Ifigenia in Tauride

Rocío Pérez

Rafał Tomkiewicz

Suzanne Jerosme

Alasdair Kent

Karolina Bengtsson

Les Talens Lyriques

Christophe Rousset, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Aparté

_____________________

Traetta’s Ifigenia in Tauride, recorded for the first time by Les Talens Lyriques and NovoCanto under Christophe Rousset, presents a powerful exploration of the House of Atreus’s tragic legacy. The opera centers on Orestes, tormented by his matricide, and Iphigenia, haunted by her near-sacrifice, whose fateful reunion unfolds with profound emotional intensity. Traetta’s score, bridging Neapolitan bel canto and Gluckian reform, combines expressive vocal writing with dramatic depth, where every line and ornament conveys genuine feeling. The performance features a stellar ensemble of soloists, with Rocío Pérez delivering a compelling and moving portrayal of Iphigenia, capturing the opera’s enduring emotional and musical significance.

Tommaso Traetta (1727–1779) was an influential Italian composer and a key figure in 18th-century operatic reform alongside Niccolò Jommelli, anticipating the innovations of Gluck. Trained in Naples, he served as music master to Don Felipe, Duke of Parma, directed the Conservatorio dell’Ospedaletto in Venice, and was music director for Catherine the Great in Russia. Traetta sought to reduce the artificiality of opera by blending recitative and aria, employing orchestrally accompanied recitatives of heightened emotional power, and using arias to advance the drama. His rich harmonies, prominent orchestration, active choruses, and incorporation of ballet shaped works such as Ifigenia in Tauride (1763) and Sofonisba (1762), alongside sacred compositions like the Stabat Mater and the oratorio Salomone (1768).

Christophe Rousset (b. 1961), founder of Les Talens Lyriques, is a renowned harpsichordist and conductor known for his passion for opera and early European music. Trained in Paris and The Hague, he gained early acclaim by winning the Bruges Harpsichord Competition at 22. Since founding his ensemble in 1991, he has become a key figure in reviving Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic repertoires, performing across major European venues and internationally. Rousset is also celebrated for his benchmark harpsichord recordings, his educational work with top institutions, his guest conducting, and his scholarly publications on Rameau, François Couperin, and historical performance practice.