Théâtre des Champs-Elysées loves La Vestale and we understand why – after a stage production in 2013, entrusted to Jérémie Rhorer and his Cercle de l’Harmonie, with Ermonela Jaho in the title role, the work that Spontini returned to ten years later (the Paris Opera seems to forget that it belongs to its repertoire, since the Salle Montansier where it was premiered in 1807 then housed the Imperial Academy of Music). This time, it’s for a concert, following the recording made by the Palazzetto Bru Zane, and with Christophe Rousset in charge.
The one we expected at the turn was Marina Rebeka in the title role. After her Mozart debut, the Latvian soprano has proven in recent years that she was completely in her place in the Belcanto repertoire, and her vocal qualities promised a beautiful Julia. Her recent Thaïs also indicated that she could sing French very well (and it was in the original version that she had recorded the main excerpts of the work in her album Spirito, released in 2019).