Acteon

The dramatic miniature work Actéon by Marc-Antoine Charpentier tells the myth of the hunter who was punished by the goddess Diana because he had surprised her while bathing. Actéon was originally composed for a countertenor, but Charpentier reworked the piece a few months later and assigned the title role to a boy soprano. With an instrumentation often preferred by Charpentier – a small group of singers, two violins, two flutes and basso continuo – "Actéon" and "Actéon changé en biche" demonstrate the full spectrum of his dramatic and expressive skills. Scherzi Musicali now presents a comparison of these two versions, with the second version being recorded here for the first time.