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CRESCENDO MAGAZINE (BE) | 20/02/2025 – Victoria Okada
‘At the height of her powers, the singer's singing is highly expressive, with clear high notes and a slightly shadowy mid-range. [...] Franck-Emmanuel Comte's direction from the harpsichord highlights the diversity of each piece, to which the musicians respond in perfect harmony'.
STRETTO (BE) | 27/02/2025 – Michel Dutrieue
« Naast het plezier van het ontdekken van deze compleet nieuwe muzikale pareltjes, zal dit project u meenemen naar de opwindende, dubbelzinnige en fascinerende wereld van Hamlet, wiens geesten deze mooie wandeling door een herontdekt barok Italië zullen verlevendigen. »
‘As well as the pleasure of discovering these truly original musical gems, this project will plunge you into the bewitching, ambiguous and fascinating world of Hamlet, whose ghosts will enliven this beautiful walk through a rediscovered Baroque Italy'.
PREMIERE LOGE (FR) | 28/02/2025 – Marc Dumont
‘In the end, it's quite rare that once you've finished listening to a record, you feel the urge to listen to it again straight away. With this one, it's even more serious, Doctor: it's with each tune that the need arises'.
FORUM OPERA (FR) | 28/02/2025 – Yvan Beuvard
‘The joy is constant, and we never tire of listening to this captivating recording, with its splendid colours, phrasing and articulation. The exceptional qualities of the performers, the variety of affects, the instrumental pages, all delight us'.
MUSICOLOGIE.ORG (FR) | 01/03/2025 – Alfred Caron
‘Although three of these arias are world premieres, the whole of this disc is a real discovery, even beyond the rarity of the repertoire, thanks to the qualities of the performers who defend it’.
LA SCENA MUSICALE (CA) | 11/03/2025 – Heather Weinreb
'[Roberta Mameli] possesses a honey-like tone and superb vocal control which resulted in many lively Baroque ornamentations speckled throughout her performance'.
« [Roberta Mameli] possède un timbre de miel et une superbe maîtrise vocale, ce qui lui a permis d’exécuter de nombreuses ornementations baroques vives tout au long de sa prestation. »
CULTUURPAKT (BE) | 19/03/2025 – Knopskaya
« Het geluk is constant, en we worden nooit moe van het luisteren naar deze boeiende opname, met prachtige kleuren, frasering en articulaties. De uitzonderlijke kwaliteiten van de uitvoerders, de verscheidenheid aan affecten, de instrumentale pagina’s, alles verrukt ons. »
‘The joy is constant, and we never tire of listening to this captivating recording, with its splendid colours, phrasing and articulation. The exceptional qualities of the performers, the variety of affects, the instrumental pages, all delight us'.
IL GIORNALE DELLA MUSICA (IT) | 28/03/2025 – Alma Torretta
« L’album combina il piacere della scoperta con quello dell’alta qualità dell’esecuzione con l’ensemble che risponde alla sapiente direzione di Franck-Emmanuel Comte con sensibilità, compattezza ed eleganza, ben esprimendo sia i colori più vividi che le sfumature più delicate. »
'The album combines the pleasure of discovery with that of high quality performance, with the ensemble responding to Franck-Emmanuel Comte's skilful direction with sensitivity, compactness and elegance, well expressing both the most vivid colours and the most delicate nuances'.
OPUS KLASSIEK (NL) | 07/04/2025 – Aart van der Wal
« Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu onder leiding van de klavecinist Franck-Emmanuel Comte geeft de sopraan de zo essentiële ademruimte, maar zorgt tevens voor fraai uitgewerkte contrasten in de al even sprankelende dialogen. »
'The Concert de l'Hostel Dieu, conducted by harpsichordist Franck-Emmanuel Comte, gives the soprano the essential breathing space, but also offers magnificently crafted contrasts in equally sparkling dialogue'.
Print media
LE DEVOIR (CA) | 10/03/2025 – Christophe Huss
‘Convincing and impressive on record, the project is even more so on stage thanks to the radiant presence of soprano Roberta Mameli, who takes on the roles of Hamlet's mother, fiancée and even Hamlet himself, when the role was given to a castrato’.
TRIBUNE DE LYON (FR) | 01/2025 – Luc Hernandez
‘Echoing Shakespeare's myth, Franck-Emmanuel Comte has rediscovered previously unpublished sinfonias, arias and fragments of operas inspired by the same libretto by the Venetian poet Apostolo Zeno. The result is the very best of eighteenth-century Italian vocal music'.
SEVEN DAYS (US) | 19/03/2025 – Amy Lilly
« People are in for a world-class opera singer, beautiful Baroque music and a different take on the Hamlet story. »
“Le public a le droit à une chanteuse d’opéra de classe mondiale, à une belle musique baroque et à une interprétation différente de l’histoire d’Hamlet. »
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE (UK) | 20/03/2025 – Berta Joncus
« Stonking performances and brilliant programming unite in this solo album. […] Comte and Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu are pure joy. Their exchange of ideas gives this performance its febrile energy. »
« Des performances époustouflantes et une programmation brillante s’unissent dans cet album solo. […] Comte et Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu sont un pur bonheur. Leurs échanges d’idées donnent à ce spectacle son énergie fébrile. »
SCHERZO (ES) | 31/03/2025 – Stefano Russomanno
« Mameli cautiva con su derroche de elegancia y una fuerza llena de la belleza de su timbre que dota de matices el carácter de cada pieza con una deslumbrante ornamentación. »
'Mameli captivates with her elegance and strength, full of the beauty of her timbre that gives nuance to the character of each piece with dazzling ornamentation.'
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG (DE) | 31/03/2025
« Das Album verknüpft Perlen der italienischen Barockoper zu einem Pasticcio verschiedener Kom- positionen, auch von Händel; nur einzelne, attraktive Arien Gasparinis sind überliefert. »
The album combines pearls of Italian baroque opera in a pasticcio of various compositions, including those by Handel; only individual, attractive arias by Gasparini have survived.
OPERA MAGAZINE (FR) | 01/04/2025 – Thierry Guyenne
'Franck-Emmanuel Comte's Concert de l'Hostel Dieu makes a brilliant contribution, both in terms of instrumental beauty and dramatic sense, to the lively interest of this disc'.
Radio
RCF – Tous mélomanes (FR) | 13/02/2025 – Jacques Nouvier
RADIO PLURIEL (FR) | 16/02/2025 – Hervé Laurent
FRANCE MUSIQUE (FR) | 18/02/2025 – Emilie Munera
‘The arias that remain from these lost operas are brought to life by the Concert de l'Hostel Dieu and the charismatic soprano Roberta Mameli, who lends her supple voice to the eponymous Danish prince and the strong women who surround him [...]’.