Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sings Rameau's Phèdre (Hippolyte et Aricie) 

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Conductor: William Christie
Les Arts Florissants
Phèdre: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie
"Quelle plainte en ces lieux m'appelle?"
Rameau was one of the greatest operatic geniuses of the Baroque, and this scene, one of his most inspired pieces of writing, would on its own be ample evidence for that claim.
Lorraine Hunt is at her absolute best here - she delivers a fervent reading, full of light and shade, the voice coursing with emotion as the character of Phèdre realises that she is responsible for Hippolyte's (the man she loves) demise. Hunt Lieberson lives through each word at an intensity matched by few other operatic artists, her superb technique and fascinating timbral depths affording great flexibility and freedom inside an enormous emotional range, the chiaro-scuro vocal line endlessly shaded, her legato almost painfully beautiful. A phenomenon.
William Christie proves too why he is perhaps the worlds greatest conductor of Baroque opera* - he creates and maintains the atmosphere with consummate mastery, and few baroque specialists have his sense of line or immaculate ear for sonority. His orchestra, Les Arts Florissants are flawless in this repertoire, and the superb choral contribution provides a powerful foil to Hunt-Lieberson's overwhelming vocal presence. An all round very special recording of a very special opera.
*I would say Marc Minkowski is an equal in the French Baroque repertoire.