- Anacréon
"Anacréon" is the title given to two separate
opera s byJean-Philippe Rameau . Both are in the form of a one-act "acte de ballet" and both feature the Ancient Greek poetAnacreon , but otherwise they are totally different. The first "Anacréon" was premiered atFontainebleau on23 October ,1754 . Itslibretto is byLouis de Cahusac . The second "Anacréon" received its first performance at the Opéra,Paris , on31 May ,1757 and has a libretto by Pierre-Joseph Justin Bernard.Roles
ynopsis
1754 version
In this opera, the old poet Anacreon pretends he is going to marry his protegée Cloé. She is in love with the young Bathylle, also under Anacreon's protection. Finally, the poet reveals he had planned to marry the two lovers all along. ["Viking" p.845] The work was performed "with great success". [Girdlestone p.474]
1757 version
The slight plot concerns an argument over the relative merits of wine, symbolised by Bacchus, and love. The
maenads , followers of Bacchus, claim the two are incompatible and threaten the poet Anacreon who holds the contrary view. The quarrel is resolved in Anacreon's favour by L'Amour (Cupid ).This "acte de ballet" became the third "entrée" of Rameau's "
opéra-ballet Les surprises de l'Amour " on its revival in 1757.elected recordings
* "Anacréon" (1757) Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (1 CD, Harmonia Mundi, 1982)
* "Anacréon" (1757) Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (1 CD, Deutsche Grammophon, 1996)References
ources
*Girdlestone, Cuthbert, "Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work", New York: Dover, 1969 (paperback edition)
*Holden, Amanda, ed., "The Viking Opera Guide", New York:Viking, 1993
*Sadler, Graham, ed., "The New Grove French Baroque Masters" Grove/Macmillan, 1988
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