Andre Cardinal Destouches… not exactly a name that automatically generates much recognition these days. Possibly, we might locate him among other composers from the early 18th century such as Desmarest, Campra and Marin Marais. But even if a few titles from his output, such as Isse, Telemaque et Calypso or Marthesie, might ring a few bells, who could actually claim to have heard even a single one of his arias? And yet, Destouches was, in his time, one of the clear and unequivocal leading figures of French opera and a composer of masterpieces: Callirhoe is without doubt one of them and now, under the direction of Herve Niquet, this opera recovers a new lease of life. Benefiting from an inspired cast of highlytalented young soloists, the musicians of Le Concert Spirituel as well as the researchers from the Centre de Musique Baroque in Versailles, this recording reveals for us a moving tragedy in which love, jealousies, power and a noble generosity of spirit are embraced and merged into one captivating whole.