01 May The Leading Man
Les Délices’ new program The Leading Man features the unique voice and dynamic stage-presence of tenor Jason McStoots, who performs feats of musical heroism, absurdist comedy, and ravishing beauty in this program of operatic excerpts by Lully, Boismortier, Leclair, and Rameau. Les Délices performs at William Busta Gallery on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 8:00pm, and in Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church (2860 Coventry Rd., Shaker Heights) on Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 4:00pm (a pre-concert lecture by Dr. Georgia Cowart begins at 3pm).
The Leading Man is inspired one of the 18th century’s most famous tenors, Pierre Jélyotte. Jélyotte was the Paris Opéra’s leading man and comic muse from the mid-1730s through the 1750s, performing lead roles in virtually of Rameau’s operas among many others. Known for his kind and humble nature, Jélyotte easily took to roles that cast him as a hero, a fair and just king, or a faithful lover. Yet he also excelled in comedy: cross-dressing for the role of deluded frog-princess in Rameau’s Platée.