- Acis et Galatée
"Acis et Galatée" ("Acis and Galatea") is an
opera byJean-Baptiste Lully . Unlike most of his operas, which are designated "tragédies en musique ", Lully called this work a "pastorale-héroïque", because it was on a pastoral theme and had only three acts (plus a prologue) compared to the usual five. Otherwise, there is little musically or dramatically to distinguish it from Lully's "tragédies".Jean Galbert de Campistron wrote the Frenchlibretto after the story inOvid 's Metamorphoses.It was commissioned by
Louis Joseph, duc de Vendôme in honor of Louis, "le Grand Dauphin". Lully did not work with his usual collaborator,Philippe Quinault , because he was no longer doing theatrical work.Performance history
It was premiered at the
Château d'Anet onSeptember 6 1686 and later at theAcadémie Royale de Musique onSeptember 17 1686 .Roles
*Galatea, a sea nymph (
soprano ) - created byMarie Le Rochois
*Acis , a mortal (counter-tenor ) - created byLouis Gaulard Dumesny
*Poliphème (Polyphemus ), a monster (baritone )
*Neptune (bass)ynopsis
The story is of a love triangle between the three main characters—Acis, Galatea, and Poliphème. Poliphème murders Acis out of jealousy, but Acis is revived and turned into a river by Neptune. [Roscow]
elected recording
*"Lully: Acis & Galatée" (Fouchécourt, Gens, Naouri, Crook, Delunsch, Félix, Masset; Les Musiciens du Louvre; Conductor Minkowski). Archiv (1998).
References
*Lois Roscow. "Acis et Galathée", "Grove Music Online", ed. L. Macy (accessed
July 23 2006 ), [http://www.grovemusic.com/ grovemusic.com] (subscription access).
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