I joined Les Talens Lyriques for a recording of Domenico Cimarosa’s L’Olimpiade, a drama by Pietro Metastasio. The recording was directed by Christophe Rousset and we used a new edition by Korneel Bernolet produced specially for the occasion. I joined Les Talens Lyriques on the last day of their rehearsals in Paris, at the Mairie of the 9th Arrondissement, on 17 December 2023. The following day myself and Will Russell (2nd trumpet) recorded at Salle Colonne—where we recorded a CD with Michael Spyres around this time last year.

On this occasion, we recorded all three of the D-major trumpet numbers in L’Olimpiade in the first session on 18 December. It was great to be back in the studio during the evening recording session while we waited to record the finale (in C major), as we got to hear an unbelievably virtuosic coloratura soprano aria (comparable to Mozart’s Queen of the Night Aria), sung by Rocío Pérez; it also featured an obbligato oboe part, played by Martin Stadler.