Messager: Fortunio

John Eliot Gardiner’s nomination as head of the newly created Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon in 1983 led to major changes in the artistic direction of this institution, which became one of the most innovative among the European lyric stages. Under Gardiner’s mandate, Lyon specialized in French music, particularly the opéras-comiques of Offenbach, Chabrier and André Messager. The latter’s lovely Fortunio was recorded here in 1987 – it is a reference version.