LA CALISTO

There is nothing like a stellar myth to light up the Provencal nights. The story of the beautiful and ill-fated Calisto derives from the countless list of conquests made by Jupiter under a variety of assumed guises: the story of a nymph he seduces by disguising himself as Diana, a nymph who is then turned into a bear by his jealous wife and subsequently metamorphosed into a glorious constellation. La Calisto is the most fascinating example of Venetian Baroque in its golden age, a subtle blend of comedy and tragedy enhanced by an extraordinarily rich and varied musical idiom. But behind the entertaining farce that freely evokes the fluidity of desire and the haziness that surrounds gender, the work offers a bitter portrayal of love relationships. Through the antics of Jupiter and his companions, Jetske Mijnssen illustrates the moral turpitude of a selfish and cruel society caught in a web of dangerous liaisons; while Sébastien Daucé, heading his Ensemble Correspondances and an array of the most talented singers of the new generation, brings out all the richness that this music has to offer.