Blow: Venus and Adonis

When this reviewer produced "Venus and Adonis" at Loyola University of the South in 1981 (with Rebeca Oropesa, mother of the Metropolitan Opera's Lisette Oropesa, as an incomparable Venus), the only recording available was the 1951 set, conducted by Sir Anthony Lewis.Today, the studio discography has four further recordings of John Blow's little opera, from 1987, 1994, 1999, and the one under review from 2009 (though not published until 2011). This most recent set emanates from the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF), and is a bracing marvel, quite superior to its earlier rivals. In fact, the previous recordings appear to be rather anemic by comparison to this theatrically-vivid version on cpo.The cast is headed by Amanda Forsythe, Tyler Duncan, and Mireille Lebel, with Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs as Musical Directors. The great vitality of this performance (assisted by judicious additions to the instrumentation and beautifully elaborate ornamentation, as well as sound-effects of the hunt) is astonishing, and is the first recording to reveal that this opera is not a mere antecedent to "Dido and Æneas" (composed by Blow's student, Henry Purcell), but a masterpiece in its own right.This reviewer would go even further, in declaring this to be one of the greatest recordings of the opera of the Baroque.

Was a gift and my friend loved this recording.

EXCELLENT! Anything with Paul O'Dette is going to be wonderful!n morse

This tiny "opera" is doubtless a masterwork. BEMF has the edge on all other recordings in the market. Here singers all are stunning and Amanda Forsythe is as ever a gem.

Voilà enfin l'enregistrement de référence de ce"Masque" de Blow, chef-d'oeuvre de ce genre de musique dramatique emblématique de l'Angleterre du XVIIe siècle!L'équipe du Boston Early Music Festival se tire avec bonheur et avec une grande grâce de toutes les "crudities", dissonances et autres conduites harmoniques qui peuvent nous troubler mais qui font tout le "sel" de la musique anglaise de cette période, et particulièrement celle de Blow. Beaucoup d'ensembles, et non des moindres (Pickett, Medlam, Rooley, Jacobs, etc.), ont donné des interprétations souvent lénifiantes, ne sachant vraiment que faire de cette musique un peu déroutante, qui n'a cependant rien à envier aux chefs-d'oeuvre de Purcell (lui-même élève de Blow). Mais personne n'a su autant que l'équipe réunie ici la comprendre aussi bien, et montrer toute sa beauté et sa richesse!

Une grand justesse et une sensibilité qui rendent justice au chef d'oeuvre de Blow. Les deux airs en supplement sont du même niveau. Grand merci aux différents interprètes.