Le Paradis et la Péri

Description

Schumann’s Paradise and the Peri opens a new era for the London Symphonic Orchestra, that of Simon Rattle. Paradise and the Peri is a secular oratorio by Schumann, premiered in December 1843 in Leipzig, based on an epic poem by Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh, inspired by Persian mythology. This work by Schumann very well reflects the public’s passion at the time for everything that came from the Orient. The libretto tells the story of the Peri, a legendary creature, who is banished from Paradise and undertakes a quest meant to redeem her. Rattle’s energetic conducting carries the work through to the final high C of the Peri, performed by a dazzling Sally Matthews alongside whom we find masterful soloists: Mark Padmore, Kate Royal, Bernarda Fink, Andrew Staples and Florian Boesch.