Opéra Magazine's operatic 'pick of the month' ('coup de coeur') for July and August 2024.

There are some months when France's Opéra Magazine dishes out so many of its 'Diamond' awards that you wonder if they're as 'exceptional' as they're claimed to be. 

In the July-August 2024 edition, however, there's only one, so perhaps the accolade isn't devalued after all.

Unusually, however, it isn't actually the pick of the month that gets this lone 'Diamant' (more below). Instead, this month's 'coup de coeur' is a DVD rated 5 out of 5:

'Less extensive than La Bohème or Tosca, the Manon Lescaut video catalogue is enriched by a new version, filmed at Barcelona's Liceu in 2018, which is a constant pleasure to watch and listen to. A good way to commemorate, at home, the centenary of Puccini's death.'

Liudmyla Monastyrska is Manon, Gregory Kunde is Des Grieux. The production is by Davide Livermore, the conductor is Emmanuel Villaume.

That sole 'Diamond' is awarded to the CD set of a Händel rarity, Poro, re dell'Indie, with Christopher Lowry, Lucia Martin Carton and others under Marco Angioloni, who also sings (though the reviewer prefers his conducting). 

'Inspired by Metastasio's text, Händel delivers extremely elegant music, in which emotional drama, at the very heart of opera seria, is predominant.' The label is Château de Versailles Spectacles. As it happens, Telemann's adaptation of Händel's work, Cleofida, Königin von Indien, has also appeared, on the Gusto Barocco label, but the magazine rates it 4 out of 5.