Thésée (Mondonville)

Thésée (Theseus) is an opera by the French composer Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, first performed at Fontainebleau on 7 November 1765. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in five acts. The opera is a new setting of a libretto by Philippe Quinault, originally set by Jean-Baptiste Lully in 1675.[1] Mondonville's version was not a success and did not get to enjoy its public premiere at the Paris Opera until 13 January 1767, but audience rejected it calling for the restoration of Lully's original music. Mondonville's opera was withdrawn for good after its fourth performance.[2]

Operas by Mondonville

Roles
Cast Voice type Premiere, 7 November 1765[3]
( Conductor: – )
Eglé (Aegle), a princess raised under the tutelage of Egée, King of Athens soprano Sophie Arnould
Cleone, a confidante of Eglé soprano Mlle Avenaux
The high priestess of Minerva soprano Marie-Jeanne Larrivée Lemière
Egée (Aegeus), King of Athens basse-taille (bass-baritone) Henri Larrivée
Arcas, a confidant of Egée haute-contre M Muguet
Médée (Medea), a magician princess soprano Mlle Dubois (or Du Bois)
Dorine, a confidante of Médée soprano Mlle Dubrieul
Thésée (Theseus), Egée's unknown son haute-contre Joseph Legros
A woman from Athens soprano Marie-Jeanne Larrivée Lemière
A shepherd from the enchanted island haute-contre M Muguet
A shepherdess from the enchanted island soprano Marie-Jeanne Larrivée Lemière
Minerve soprano Mlle Avenaux

References
Notes
  1. Holden.
  2. Pitou.
  3. Cast according to original 1765 libretto.
Sources
  • Original 1765 libretto on Google Books
  • Spire Pitou, The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715-1815, Westport/London, Greenwood Press, 1985, page 521. ISBN 0-313-24394-8
  • The Viking Opera Guide, ed. Amanda Holden (Viking, 1993), page 671.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.