It may have one of the oddest of opera plots – and even odder source material – but there’s a reason William Christie chose Atys to kickstart the Lully revival nearly 40 years ago. Quite simply, it is the composer’s masterpiece, a work that for its dramatic forward momentum, intensity of emotions and lyrical warmth stands head and shoulders above much else that was around at the time. That view is supported by the plethora of recent recordings – this is the third in as many years – but Alexis Kossenko’s reading is a head-and-shoulders winner, meaning that at last, the Christie has a respectable rival.

Atys premiered at Fontainebleau in 1677, and although it bombed with the public, Louis XIV loved it so much that it became known as “the king’s opera”. Set in ancient Phrygia, Atys, a courtly shepherd, is in love with the river nymph Sangaride. Although he pretends indifference at first, his love is reciprocated, which is unfortunate as Sangaride is betrothed to King Celenus. Worse is to come. The goddess Cybèle also has the hots for Atys and appoints him as her high priest. When she discovers the lovers’ secret, she curses Atys with a supernatural madness causing him to slaughter Sangaride in the mistaken belief she is a monster. Upon regaining his senses, the devastated shepherd takes his own life after which Cybèle transforms him into a pine tree.

Lully can be an intermittently memorable composer but here the music is consistently sublime culminating in the famous Sleep Scene, an extended episode of great beauty that went on to influence a whole host of imitations. This new recording takes onboard the most recent historical and musicological research regarding the original orchestral forces, their layout, and especially the instrumental colours, particularly of the wind instruments. The engineering here is superb, its depth and detail allowing the listener to wallow luxuriously in the richness of Lully’s sonic imagination.

Not that Christie is supplanted. There is a spontaneity and sense of discovery about the older recording that remains compelling, and the cast is outstanding led by the superb trio of Guy de Mey as a marvellously otherworldly Atys, Guillemette Laurens as a thrusting Cybèle and the willowy Agnès Mellon as Sangaride.

Kossenko – one of the most purely exciting early music practitioners on the circuit today – has hand-picked his cast based on what is known of the vocal and theatrical qualities of the singers who performed the work when it was first created. The results are telling. Mathias Vidal sings like an angel as Atys, his plangent tenor especially easy on the ear. Véronique Gens is a fully three-dimensional Cybèle, capturing the goddess’s desperation as well as her vengefulness. Sandrine Piau makes Sangaride into a feistier heroine than is sometimes the case, with Tassis Christoyannis warm, yet sufficiently dangerous as the thwarted Celenus. 

The Pages and Chantres of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles – a blend of children and adults – is an authentic nod that works well. Period band Les Ambassadeurs – La Grande Écurie plays with enormous clarity of expression and much panache. The Sleep Scene in particular is a masterpiece of sustained lyricism, but in Kossenko’s hands all the divertissements sparkle and the drawn out final lament makes for a deeply moving experience. This recording has award winner written all over it. 

Listen on Apple Music

 Composer: Lully
Work: Atys
Performers: Mathias Vidal t, Véronique Gens ms, Sandrine Piau s, Tassis Christoyannis bar, Les Ambassadeurs – La Grande Écurie/Alexis Kossenko|
Label: Alpha ALPHA1193 (3CD)