Proserpine (3cd)

Gramophone Magazine
July 2026
Editor's Choice

Radio 3 Record Review
Record of the Week
27th Jun3 2026

Marie Lys (Proserpine), Ambroisine Bré (Arethusa), Jean-Sébastien Bou (Crinise), Véronique Gens (Ceres), Nick Pritchard (Mercury), Laurence Kilsby (Alphée)
Les Talens Lyriques, Chœur de Chambre de Namur, Christophe Rousset

Composed in 1680, Proserpine marks a historic artistic reunion between Jean-Baptiste Lully and his primary librettist Philippe Quinault following the fallout from their previous scandal surrounding Isis (1677). Written to celebrate the grand wedding of the Dauphin, this masterwork revolutionized French Baroque opera by transforming the orchestra into the core driving engine of the drama while infusing the vocal writing with an unprecedented layer of raw, expressive intensity.

In this penultimate installment of his magnificent, career-spanning survey of Lully's stage works, conductor Christophe Rousset guides Les Talens Lyriques and the Chœur de Chambre de Namur with signature stylistic brilliance and a crisp rhythmic pulse. Soprano Marie Lys handles the title role with immense grace and emotional weight, while the legendary Véronique Gens delivers a masterclass in Baroque tragedy as a fiercely grieving, wrathful Ceres. Moving seamlessly from glittering courtly dances to the ominous, brooding soundscapes of the underworld, this recording vividly reinstates a long-shadowed masterpiece to its rightful pedestal.

"Marie Lys makes much of the few opportunities she is given... this penultimate instalment in Christophe Rousset's magnificent survey of Lully's operas should not be missed." — Gramophone Magazine, July 2026.