Larmes de Résurrection (Collection Château de Versailles)

La tempête and music director Simon-Pierre Bestion fuse the music of 17th-century German composers Heinrich Schütz and Johann Schein in a dramatic, joyful re-telling of the Resurrection story. Instrumentalists and singers are in compelling form, particularly in Schein’s exultant “Freue dich des Weibes deiner Jugend” and the mournful “Da Jakob vollendet hatte”. However, Bestion’s masterstroke is to highlight the common ground between Gregorian and Byzantine chant with Lebanese singer Georges Abdallah in the role of Schütz’s narrator. The effect is pure alchemy, the musical styles of Germany, Italy and ancient Constantinople uniting in a magical blend.