When André Campra completed his Carnaval de Venise (1699), on the eve of a new century, was he aware that he was bequeathing to the Académie royale de musique a mythical work that would remain without descendants? While the court of the old Louis XIV tried to preserve the spirit of the Grand Siècle in Versailles, Paris was already buzzing with the new ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. With its prologue and three festive acts, with its exotic dances and virtuoso arias in Italian, the Carnaval de Venise is one of the most original experiences of the operatic theatre of the time, which earned Campra the reputation of being the new master of French opera, and the champion of the Regency. In a prodigious shortcut, the composer synthesised the styles of Lully, Lalande, Monteverdi and Cavalli, already foreshadowing Handel and Rameau. He imagined a colourful score, undeniably capable of reviving in Paris the spirit of the carnival and that of the legendary Venice.

Book-record.
Contains 2 CDs.
Limited and numbered edition of 3900 pieces