On 20 April, a new and previously unkown work was another revelation. Radio France dedicated one of its “Portes ouvertes” weekends to Marco da Gagliano’s La Dafne, written in 1608, just a year after Monteverdi’s Orfeo. The 26-year old Gagliano was well versed in matters of the theatre, and masterfully set his text, reusing the poem Rinuccini had written for Peri’s Dafne in 1598. Conductor Jay Bernfield and the Fuoco E Cenere ensemble took great pains to balance carefully voices and orchestra. Their performance was a study in eloquent commitment as they perfectly matched mezzo-soprano Guillemette Laurens, who breathed vivd life into every word. The gestures that matched those words were equally fascinating. Bernfeld and his musicians have unearthed an important score dating from the early days of Opera.
Alexandre Pham.