Bellérophon
| Jean-Baptiste Lully |
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Operas
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Bellérophon is an opera with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully and a libretto by Thomas Corneille and Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle first performed by the Opéra at the Palais Royal in Paris on 31 January 1679.
The opera played for 9 months and was one of Lully's greatest successes.
Contents |
[edit] Roles
| Cast | Voice type | Premiere, 31 January 1679 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Apollon (prologue) | bass | François Beaumavielle |
| Pan (prologue) | baritone | Arnoul |
| Bacchus (prologue) | tenor | Roy |
| Bellérophon | haute-contre | Bernard Clédière |
| Sténobée | soprano | de Saint-Christophe |
| Philonoé | soprano | Marie Aubry |
| Argie | mezzo-soprano | Bony |
| Pallas | mezzo-soprano | de La Prée |
| Jobate | baritone | Jean Gaye |
| Amisodar | bass | Nouveau |
| Pythie | tenor | Roy |
| Sacrificial priest | bass | Pulvigny |
[edit] Synopsis
The queen Sténobée (soprano), spurned by Bellérophon (tenor) who loves the princess Philonoé (soprano), has the magician Amisodar (bass) turn the garden into a barren desert and summon a chimera which terrorizes the country of Lycia. Apollo (tenor) appears and all is solved.
[edit] Modern performances
The first performance in modern times was by Les Talens Lyriques conducted by Christophe Rousset at the Festival of Beaune, 24 July 2010. It was followed by a two performances in Paris, the first of which spawned the disc recording to be published in March 2011 by the recording label Aparté[1].
[edit] Sources
- Amadeus Almanac, accessed 9 March 2011
- 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)
[edit] External links
- Bellérophon: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
