Premiered just a few months before the French Revolution, Gretry's Raoul Barbe-bleue is an opera comique with musical and dramatic implications so remarkable they even inspired Offenbach. Raoul Barbe-bleue depicts a cruel gentry from a political point of view, and even dares to mock through comic effects. The mysterious atmosphere that emerges from the drama (reminiscent of Weber's singspiel) stems from refined and elegant musical writing that cannot be compared to Gretry's naive and simple early works. This premiere recording from Aparte, featuring a brilliant cast under the direction of Martin Wahlberg, reveals a considerable richness that will appeal to both the neophyte and the specialist.