Marc Minkowski - Offenbach: La Belle Helene (2001)

Offenbach's cheeky take on the Helen of Troy myth is a delightful romp that leaves you smiling all the way through, with stops for several hearty chuckles, such as the yodeling song that plants Tyrolean bleating into a classical Greek setting. Marc Minkowski is best known for his recordings of the Baroque, but here he leads this Romantic-era comic opera with spirited drive, getting precise articulation from his band and bringing out details that make you appreciate anew Offenbach's orchestration. The cast is uniformly fine, but it doesn't surpass the somewhat more stylish EMI recording led by Plasson and featuring Jessye Norman and John Aler. Felicity Lott is delightful in the title role, although she never sounds quite as young or as flighty as Offenbach's Helen ought to. As Paris, whose cunning wins Helen, Yann Beuron is a convincing lover, but he lacks the commanding voice the part demands for some of the score's most glorious moments, such as the Mount Ida aria, where Jussi Bjoerling's 60-year-old recording reigns supreme. The supporting baritones and basses lend the appropriate comic touches, helping to make this live recording from a Paris production recommendable. --Dan Davis