Naxos Releases THE KING AND THE FARMER

By: Christina Mancuso Aug. 26, 2013

August 2013 sees the release of a world premiere recording of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny's The King and the Farmer, an 18th-century opéra-comique which foreshadows many aspects of romanticism and made Monsigny famous in France and beyond.

Naxos 8.660322

Pierre-Alexandre MONSIGNY (1729-1817)
Le Roi et le fermier (The King and the Farmer)
Thomas Michael Allen, tenor • William Sharp, baritone
Dominique Labelle, soprano • Thomas Dolié, baritone
Jeffrey Thompson, tenor • Delores Ziegler, mezzo-soprano
Yulia Van Doren, soprano • David Newman, baritone
Tony Boutté, tenor
Opera Lafayette Orchestra • Ryan Brown

Le Roi et le fermier made Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny famous in France and beyond. Set in an evocative and at times stormy Sherwood Forest it tells of a King's encounter with a humble farmer, blending comedy with serious issues. Its numerous innovations foreshadow Romanticism, making it a milestone in operatic history, with librettist Michel-Jean Sedaine admiring Monsigny's daring in taking "the risk of setting a new genre to music". "This production should be noted and remembered in the annals of Versailles, for the intelligence of its staging, the beauty of its sets, and its high musical quality." (Opéra Magazine)

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