![Portrait of Jean-Philippe Rameau - Joseph Aved](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Portrait_of_Jean-Philippe_Rameau_-_Joseph_Aved.jpg)
''Acante et Céphise, ou La sympathie'' is an
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
by
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of Fr ...
, first performed on 19 November 1751 at the Opéra in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. It takes the form of a ''
pastorale héroïque
Pastorale héroïque was a type of ballet héroïque, a form of the opéra-ballet genre of French Baroque opera. The first work to bear the name was Jean-Baptiste Lully's final completed opera ''Acis et Galatée'' (1686), although musical works on ...
'' in three acts. The
librettist
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...
was
Jean-François Marmontel
Jean-François Marmontel (11 July 1723 – 31 December 1799) was a French historian, writer and a member of the Encyclopédistes movement.
Biography
He was born of poor parents at Bort, Limousin (today in Corrèze). After studying with th ...
. The opera was written to celebrate the birth of the
Louis, Duke of Burgundy
Louis, Dauphin of France, Duke of Burgundy (16 August 1682 – 18 February 1712), was the eldest son of Louis, Grand Dauphin, and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria and grandson of the reigning French king, Louis XIV. He was known as the "Petit D ...
, the elder brother of the future
King Louis XVI
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...
.
Although the plot has been described as "puerile....the plot evokes from Rameau a score of remarkable imagination";
it is richly scored and contains the first surviving use of
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
s in a French opera. They appear in the
overture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
, which contains a section imitating the firework display celebrating the birth of the duke.
Performance history
While the first presentation of the opera in the UK took place on BBC radio on 21 November 1983,
[Holden, p. 729] University College Opera
University College Opera, or UCOpera, is the student opera company of University College London. The operas are staged by professional singers, directors and designers, with the orchestra and chorus drawn from the student body. Founded in 1951, ...
(London) gave the opera's UK staged premiere in March 2012 in the Bloomsbury Theatre and one of the first performances in the world since the 18th century.
Background information and synopsis
(including the claim that this performance may be the first one given anywhere since the 18th Century) on ucopera.uclmusicsociety.org Retrieved 30 January 2012
Roles
Synopsis
''The story concerns a pair of lovers, Acante and Céphise, who suffer at the hands of a wicked genie
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic mytho ...
Oroès. They are saved by the good fairy Zirphile, who uses her magic powers, including the gift of telepathy
Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic W ...
(the ''sympathie'' of the title), to defeat Oroès.''
Act 1
Céphise is distraught, knowing that an evil Genie loves her and is jealous of the fact that she loves Achante. Their guardian fairy, Zirphile, seems unable to defend her against him or to save Achante from his jealous rage. Zirphile reassures them that destiny has decreed that she will eventually have power over the Genie, but not yet. She must leave them to consult with the Gods and learn how this will come about. In her absence she hopes to protect them through the power of a magic ring. This will unites the lovers in a sort of telepathic bond, so that whatever one feels, the other will feel simultaneously. In that way, if the Genie punishes or even kills his rival Achante, he will also torment or kill the object of his affections.. Achante resists the charm as he does not wish Céphise to suffer either, but Zirphile compels her followers to enact the secret spell.
The Genie arrives in a fury and orders Achante to be taken away. He tries to break down Céphise's resistance with the vision of power and riches that an alliance with an immortal might provide. His suite add their persuasions, but she is adamant. Céphise feels the distress of Achante, imprisoned elsewhere... The Genie is at first confused by her communication with the absent lover. Then he recognises the work of Zirphile and realises that he must bring Achante back if Céphise is not to expire. Reunited, the lovers try to appeal to the Genie's better side. He leaves them the rest of the day together, but after that... Achante suggests that they use the time to consult the oracle in the temple of love.
Act 2
The Genie has also sought advice in the temple but his questions remain unanswered. Among a crowd of happy and unhappy lovers, Achante and Céphise in their turn consult the oracle. Speaking through the High Priestess, the oracle decrees that when all hearts give themselves joyfully to love then these lovers will be united. It seems an impossible task, since love is so often combined with suffering. The two set about restoring harmony between the unhappy lovers.
The Genie seems to have relented. The wish to make Céphise happy has overcome his hatred for Achante. He offers to marry them himself in the temple of love. Seizing a moment aside with Achante, the Genie reveals that he has guessed the existence of Zirphile's spell. He asks Achante for the secret – when it is not forthcoming he reveals his true vengeful feelings and promises to torture them both.
Act 3
The lovers are being chained to rocks by the Genie's minions. They feel that love and Zirphile have both abandoned them. They decide to die together. The Genie summons his demons to complete the task. Just as Achante's nerve breaks and he implores the Genie to stop, Zirphile arrives. She brings news that a son has been born to the Bourbon dynasty and this is apparently sufficient reason for happiness to reign throughout. There is a great deal of dancing.
References
;Notes
;Sources
* Girdlestone, Cuthbert, ''Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work'', New York: Dover, 1969 (paperback edition)
*Holden, Amanda (Ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.
*Sadler, Graham, (Ed.), ''The New Grove French Baroque Masters'' Grove/Macmillan, 1988
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Operas
Operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau
French-language operas
1751 operas
Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera