OPERA MAGAZINE – June 2021 – Mayr’s L’amor conjugale

« On April 24, at the Massy Opera house, David Stern leaves nothing to chance – he will not stop until he gets what he wants, but does so without stress and without disturbing the good mood. He is indeed passionate about this score and about his extremely capable troupe made up of with remarkable soloists…. Mayr was regrettably eclipsed by Donizetti, and Rossini owes him much, but he had an exceptional talent for unique orchestration. One hears both Mozart in the vocal ensembles and a Beethovinian vigor in the dramatic gesture. Chantal Santon Jeffrey interprets Zeliska with perfect ease and intensity in her vocal passage-work. She seems completely at home in the pre-romantic period. The young Columbian tenor Andres Agudelo should be talked about as should the two remarkable bass-baritones: Adrien Fournaison, equally impressive in height as by the nobility of his voice, and Olivier Gourdy by his brighter timbre. The recording session which ended with the overture, both fun and full of surprises. »

Jacques Bonnaure, Opera Magazine N°173, June 2021