Persée
| Jean-Baptiste Lully |
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Operas
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Persée (Perseus) is a tragédie lyrique with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully and a libretto by Philippe Quinault, first performed on 18 April 1682 by the Opéra at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 18 April 1682 |
|---|---|---|
| Persée son of Jupiter and Danaë | haute-contre | Louis Gaulard Dumesny |
| Andromède daughter of Céphée | soprano | |
| Phinée, brother of Céphée | baritone | François Beaumavielle |
| Mérope, sister of Cassiope | soprano | Marie Le Rochois |
| Phronime, attendant of Virtue | ||
| Mégathyme, attendant of Virtue | ||
| Virtue | ||
| Fortune | ||
| Céphée, King of Ethiopia | bass | |
| Cassiope, Queen of Ethiopia | mezzo-soprano | |
| Amphimédon, an Ethiopian | ||
| Corite, an Ethiopian | ||
| Proténor, an Ethiopian | ||
| The Cyclopes | ||
| Mercure | haute-contre | |
| Méduse, a Gorgon | tenor | |
| Euryale, a Gorgon | tenor, descant above Méduse | |
| Sténone, a Gorgon | baritone | |
| Idas, a Sailor in Céphée's navy | ||
| High priest of Hymenée (wedding priest) | ||
| High priest | ||
| Vénus | ||
| L'amour (Love) | ||
| L'hymen (Marriage) | ||
| Triton, Neptune's henchman | ||
| Followers of Virtue and Fortune, followers of Cassiope, young persons chosen for the games, spectators, warrior nymphs, infernal deities, phantoms, Ethiopians, Tritons and Nereides, victorious heroes (chorus/ballet) | ||
Synopsis
The plot concerns the love between Persée and Andromède, who is already betrothed to Phinée, while Mérope loves Persée. Persée is able to triumph and win Andromède by overcoming supernatural enemies, including the Gorgon Méduse, using weapons he is granted by the gods. Phinée's jealousy pits him against Persée, leading to the ultimate confrontation. Mérope allies with Phinée at first, but has a change of heart.
Releases
DVD
A 2004 production by Opera Atelier performed live at the Elgin Theatre under the direction of Marshall Pynkoski and conducted by Hervé Niquet in Toronto is the first home video release of the opera. It features Cyril Auvity (Persée), Marie Lenormand (Andromeda), Stephanie Novacek (Cassiope), Monica Whicher (Mérope), Olivier Laquerre (Céphée/Méduse (the latter transposed from F to E-flat)), Alain Coutomber (Phinée), and Colin Ainsworth (Mercure). The designer was Gérard Gauci and the choreographer was Jeannette Zingg. Marc Stone directed the television production.
Sources
- The New Grove French Baroque Masters, ed. Graham Sadler (Macmillan, 1986)
- The Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
- Le magazine de l'opéra baroque by Jean-Claude Brenac (in French)
External links
- description, plot summary, original text of "Persée" from the University of North Texas Libraries.
- Persée: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project