The billing for this 2024 recording of
Gluck
's
Iphigénie en Aulis
promotes it as the first one done with period instruments, noting that
was the last
opera to receive that treatment. Indeed, this is an authentic performance in more respects than just the instrumentation, which is commendably powerful with 26 strings. It is based on a good deal of musicological research into the 1772 premiere. The singers were chosen based on what is known of those who performed the original work, and the tempos are quick by the usual
standards; the claim is that "Lent" in the musical French of the time did not mean "slow" but rather indicated that each beat in a measure should be counted separately. The singers, led by soprano
Judith van Wanroij
in the title role, work well together and bring out the naturalness of
's "reform" vocal writing. The opera has relatively little blank recitative but rather incorporates dialogue into arias, duos, and choruses. This is a performance in which everything flows dramatically, and the orchestral playing has an easy flow that is the essence of
's music. As for the sound, the booklet only indicates that the recording was made in Soissons, France, but it is quite clear and captures the balances that are carefully sculpted by the ensemble
Le Concert de la Loge
and its conductor,
Julien Chauvin
. Who knows whether this is authentic
, but it would seem to have a stronger claim than most other recordings. ~ James Manheim