Stravinsky - Oedipus Rex/Apollon Musagete

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts the London Symphony Orchestra on this his first release for LSO Live, offering Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Apollon musagète. Also performing on the release are the Gentlemen of the Monteverdi Choir, considered one of the world’s leading choirs, and a mix of international and home-grown soloists, including Jennifer Johnston and Stuart Skelton. The French actress Fanny Ardant, who has appeared in more than fifty motion pictures, takes the role of narrator.

Both Oedipus Rex and Apollon musagète are works based on ancient Greek themes. The rich string harmonies and textures of the ballet Apollon musagète are pleasantly mesmerizing, expressive, and calmly indulgent. In contrast, the dramatic and hauntingly compelling opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex is composed of an assemblage of monumental and powerful sounds, such as playful woodwinds, robust brass, and agile strings, with magnificent contributions from the choir and soloists.