Amadis de Grèce

Amadis de Grèce (Amadis of Greece) is an opera by the French composer André Cardinal Destouches, first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera) on 26 March 1699. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts. The libretto, by Antoine Houdar de La Motte, is based on the medieval romance Amadis de Gaula. La Motte's text was adapted to produce the Italian-language libretto for Handel's opera seria Amadigi di Gaula (1715).

Composer André Cardinal Destouches


Characters

Main characters
Amadis, character of the opera Amadis de Grèce by Destouches, André Cardinal
Characters Premiere Cast
Amadis Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard
Zirpheus Miss Poussin
Melissa Francoise Journet
Nicated Miss Moreau
Prince of Thrace Louis Gaulard Dumesny
The shadow of the prince of Thrace Louis Gaulard Dumesny

Others
  • A young sailor
  • An Enchanter
  • An enchanted Knight
  • An enchanted Princess
  • The party leader
  • Two Shepherds

Rehearsals
A scene from Act III of André Destouches's opera Amadis de Grèce. Amadis gazes at his reflection in the fountain of the truth of love; Melisse stands at left.

Rehearsals were held at Fontainebleau on October 17 and 24, as well as on November 7, 1698. Here is what the Marquis de Dangeau recorded in his Journal :

Friday 17th, at Fontainebleau

"The king went to shoot. In the evening he heard in the chamber of Saint-Louis the repetition of a music made by Destouches for a new opera."

— Journal by Marquis Dangeau[1]

Friday, 24th, at Fontainebleau

"In the evening they repeated in the gallery des Cerfs half of the new opera made by Destouches."

— Journal by Marquis Dangeau[1]

Friday, 7, at Fontainebleau

"In the evening, the last three acts of Destouches' new opera were repeated in the Galerie des Cerfs."

— Journal by Marquis Dangeau[1]

Early performances
Académie Royale de Musique

Académie Royale de Musique in 1699

Amadis de Grèce was premiered in the Académie Royale de Musique on the 26 of March, 1699.

Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels in 1711

Amadis de Grèce was performed in the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels in 1711.[2]

Queen's Concerts in 1732

Amadis de Grèce was performed during the Queen's Concerts in March 1732. The prologue and act I were performed on March 3 of 1732, then acts II and II on March 5, acts IV and V on March 10.[2]

References

Sources

Notes
  1. Dangeau, Philippe de Courcillon (1638-1720 ; marquis de) Auteur du texte; Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy (1675-1755 ; duc de) Auteur du texte (1854–1860). Journal du marquis de Dangeau. Tome 1 / publié en entier pour la première fois par MM. Soulié, Dussieux, de Chennevières, Mantz, de Montaiglon ; avec les additions inédites du duc de Saint-Simon publiées par M. Feuillet de Conches.
  2. "Amadis de Grèce". Opéra Baroque (in French). Retrieved 2019-12-08.
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