(French: "The Amorous Indies") 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 ...

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 ...

with a libretto by

Louis Fuzelier Louis Fuzelier (also ''Fuselier'', ''Fusellier'', ''Fusillier'', ''Fuzellier''; 1672 or 1674

. It takes the form of an ''

opéra-ballet ''Opéra-ballet'' (; plural: ''opéras-ballets'') is a genre of French Baroque lyric theatre that was most popular during the 18th century, combining elements of opera and ballet, "that grew out of the '' ballets à entrées'' of the early seven ...

'' with a prologue and (in its final form) four ''entrées'' (acts). Following an allegorical prologue, the four ''entrées'' have distinct and separate plots, but are unified by the theme of love in exotic places (The Ottoman Empire, Peru, Persia, and North America). The most famous pieces from the work, ''Danse des Sauvages'' and the final ''Chaconne'', come from the final ''entrée'' (''Les sauvages''). The premiere, including only the prologue and the first two of its four ''entrées'' (acts), was staged by the

Académie Royale de Musique The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris on 23 August 1735,Sadler starring the leading singers of the Opéra: Marie Antier,

Marie Pélissier Marie Pélissier or sometimes Pelissier (1706/1707 – March 21, 1749) was a French operatic soprano. At the Paris Opera in 1722, she began her career, which was noted for her artistic skill and a scandal, until her retirement in 1741. Career ...

, Mlle Errémans, Mlle Petitpas, Denis-François Tribou,

Pierre Jélyotte Pierre Jélyotte (13 April 1713 – 11 September 1797) was a French operatic tenor, particularly associated with works by Rameau, Lully, Campra, Mondonville and Destouches. Life and career Born Pierre Grichon in Lasseube, he studied ...

, and Claude-Louis-Dominique Chassé de Chinais, and the dancers

Marie Sallé Marie Sallé (1707–1756) was a French dancer and choreographer in the 18th century known for her expressive, dramatic performances rather than a series of "leaps and frolics" typical of ballet of her time. Biography Marie Sallé was a promine ...

and Louis Dupré.

Michel Blondy Michel Blondy (1675–1739) was a French choreographer, dancer and ballet master. Works All his choreographies were premiered at the Académie royale de musique * 1714: ''Les Fêtes de Thalie'', music by Mouret * 1721: ''Les Fêtes vénitiennes' ...

provided the choreography.''Le magazine de l'opéra baroque''. The ballet's Premier

Menuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form that accompa ...

was used in the soundtrack of the 2006 film ''

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

''.

Background

In 1725, French settlers in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

sent Chief

Agapit Chicagou Chief Chicagou, also known as Agapit Chicagou, was an 18th-century Native American leader of the Mitchigamea. He visited Paris and participated in the Chickasaw Wars. 'Agapit' may be a corruption of "Akapia," a Miami-Illinois term for the chie ...

of the

Mitchigamea Mitchigamea or Michigamea or Michigamie were a tribe in the Illinois Confederation. Not much is known about them and their origin is uncertain. Originally they were said to be from Lake Michigan, perhaps the Chicago area. Mitchie Precinct, Monroe C ...

and five other chiefs to Paris. On 25 November 1725, they met with

King Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

. Chicagou had a letter read pledging allegiance to the crown. They later danced three kinds of dances in the Théâtre-Italien, inspiring Rameau to compose his rondeau ''

Les Sauvages Les Sauvages () is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Rhône department The following is a list of the 208 communes of the Rhône department of France. This list does not includes the Lyon Metrop ...

''. In a preface to the printed libretto, Louis Fuzelier explains that the first entrée, "Le Turc généreux," "is based on an illustrious character—Grand Vizier

Topal Osman Pasha Topal Osman Pasha (1663–1733) was an Ottoman military officer and administrator. A capable man, he rose to the rank of ''beylerbey'' by the age of 24 and served as general against the Venetians and the Habsburg monarchy and as governor in se ...

, who was so well known for his extreme generosity. His story can be read in the Mercure de France from January 1734." The story of Osman's generosity "was apparently based on a story published in the Mercure de Suisse in September 1734 concerning a Marseillais merchant, Vincent Arniaud, who saved a young Ottoman notable from slavery in Malta, and the unstinting gratitude and generosity returned by this young man, who later became Grand Vizier Topal Osman Pasha."

Performance history

The premiere met with a lukewarm reception from the audience and, at the third performance, a new entrée was added under the title ''Les Fleurs''. However, this caused further discontent because it showed the hero disguised as a woman, which was viewed either as an absurdity or as an indecency. As a result, it was revised for the first time and this version was staged on 11 September. Notwithstanding these initial problems, the first run went on for twenty-eight performances between 23 August and 25 October,Pitou, article: ''Les Indes galantes'', pp. 285–287. when, however, only 281

livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...

were grossed, the lowest amount ever collected at the box office by ''Les Indes galantes''. Nevertheless, when it was mounted again on 10 (or 11) March 1736, a 'prodigious' audience flocked to the theatre. The ''entrée des Fleurs'' was "replaced with a version in which the plot and all the music except the ''divertissement'' was new", and a fourth entrée, ''Les Sauvages'', was added, in which Rameau reused the famous ''air des Sauvages'' he had composed in 1725 on the occasion of the American Indian chiefs' visit and later included in the '' Nouvelles Suites de pièces de clavecin'' (1728). Now in something approaching a definitive form, the opera enjoyed six performances in March and was then mounted again as of 27 December. Further revivals were held in 1743–1744, 1751 and 1761 for a combined total of 185 billings. The work was also performed in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

on 23 November 1741, at the theatre of the ''Jeu de Paume de la Raquette Royale'', and again in 1749/1750, at the initiative of Rameau's brother-in-law, Jean-Philippe Mangot. Furthermore, the prologue and individual entrées were often revived separately and given within the composite operatic programs called 'fragments' or 'spectacles coupés' (cut up representations) that: "were almost constant fare at the Palais-Royal in the second half of the eighteenth century". The prologue, ''Les Incas'' and ''Les Sauvages'' were last given respectively in 1771 (starring

Rosalie Levasseur Marie-Rose-(Claude-)Josephe Levasseur (or Le Vasseur), known in her day as Mademoiselle Rosalie, and later commonly referred to as Rosalie Levasseur (8 October 1749 – 6 May 1826) was a French soprano who is best remembered for her work with ...

Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the ...

's future favourite

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

, in the role of Hebé), 1772 and 1773 (also starring Levasseur as Zima). Thenceforth ''Les Indes galantes'' was dropped from the Opéra's repertoire, after having seen almost every artiste of the company in the previous forty years take part in its complete or partial performances. In the twentieth century the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

presented the first version of the ''Entrée des Fleurs'', with a new orchestration by

Paul Dukas Paul Abraham Dukas ( or ; 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, having abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions. His b ...

, on 30 May 1925, in a production conducted by Maurice Frigara, with

Yvonne Brothier Yvonne Brothier (born 6 June 1889 in Saint-Julien-l'Ars, Vienne, died in Paris, 22 January 1967) was a soprano operatic singer who worked principally at the Opéra-Comique, Paris. After singing in Brussels in 1914, she made her début at the ...

as Zaïre, Antoinette Reville as Fatima, Miguel Villabella as Tacmas and Emile Rousseau as Ali. Finally, ''Les Indes galantes'' was revived by the Opéra itself, at the

Palais Garnier The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from ...

, with the Dukas orchestration supplemented for the other ''entrées'' by

Henri Busser Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

, on 18 June 1952: the production, managed by the Opéra's own director,

Maurice Lehmann Maurice Lehmann (1895–1974) was a French actor, director and producer of the stage and screen. He starred in the 1923 film '' Koenigsmark'' in which he played the title role. In 1956 he was appointed President of the Jury in the Cannes Film Fe ...

and conducted by

Louis Fourestier Louis (Félix André) Fourestier (31 May 1892 – 30 September 1976) was a French conductor, composer and pedagogue, and was one of the founders of the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris. Early years, compositions and prizes Fourestier was born in Mo ...

, was notable for the lavishness of its staging and enjoyed as many as 236 performances by 29 September 1961. The sets were by

André Arbus André Arbus (1903-1969) was a French furniture designer, sculptor and architect. He was a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, and one of his buildings is listed as an official historical monument. He was the recipient of the silver medal a ...

and Jacques Dupont (1909–1978) (prologue and finale),

Georges Wakhevitch Georges may refer to: Places * Georges River, New South Wales, Australia * Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 19 ...

(first entrée),

Jean Carzou __NOTOC__ Jean Carzou ( hy, Ժան Գառզու, born in Aleppo; 1 January 1907 – 12 August 2000) was a French–Armenian artist, painter, and illustrator, whose work illustrated the novels of Ernest Hemingway and Albert Camus. Life and care ...

(second entrée), Henri Raymond Fost (1905–1970) and Maurice Moulène (third entrée) and (fourth entrée); the choreography was provided by Albert Aveline (1883–1968) (first entrée),

Serge Lifar Serge Lifar ( ua, Сергій Михайлович Лифар, ''Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar'') ( 15 December 1986) was a Ukrainian ballet dancer and choreographer, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. No ...

(second and fourth entrées) and

Harald Lander Harald Alfred Bernhardt Stevnsborg Lander (25 February 1905 – 14 September 1971) was a Danish dancer, choreographer and artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Lander was born in Copenhagen. He started as a dancer, studying under ballet ...

(third entrée). In the 1st Entrée ("The Gracious Turk"),

Jacqueline Brumaire Jacqueline Brumaire (born Herblay, 5 November 1921, died in Nancy 29 October 2000) was a French operatic soprano and later teacher. Life and career After training at the Conservatoire de Paris under Madeleine Mathieu, she debuted on 13 October ...

sang Emilie,

Jean Giraudeau Jean Giraudeau (1 July 1916, in Toulon – 7 February 1995), was an artist and French tenor,Obituary: Jean Giraudeau. ''Opera (British magazine), Opera'', June 1995, Vol.46, No.6, p671. and later theatre director, particularly associated with th ...

was Valère and Hugo Santana was Osman; the dancers were Mlle Bourgeois and M Legrand. In the 2nd Entrée, ("The Incas of Peru"), Marisa Ferrer was Phani, Georges Noré was don Carlos, and René Bianco was Huascar, while Serge Lifar danced alongside Vyroubova and Bozzoni. The 3rd Entrée, ("The Flowers") had

Janine Micheau Janine Micheau (17 April 1914 – 18 October 1976) was a French operatic soprano, one of the leading sopranos of her era in France, particularly associated with lyric soprano and coloratura soprano repertory. Biography Janine (or Jeanine) Miche ...

as Fatima, side by side with

Denise Duval Denise Duval (23 October 192125 January 2016) was a French soprano, best known for her performances in the works of Francis Poulenc on stage and in recital. During an international career, Duval created the roles of Thérèse in '' Les mamelles de ...

as Zaïre. Giraudeau was Tacmas and Jacques Jansen, the famous Pelléas, was Ali, with Mlle Bardin dancing as the Rose, Mlle Dayde as the Butterfly, Ritz as Zéphir and Renault as a Persian. The 4th Entrée, ("The Savages of America"), had Mme Géori Boué, as Zima, with José Luccioni as Adario,

Raoul Jobin Raoul Jobin, (April 8, 1906 – January 13, 1974) was a French-Canadian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the French repertory. Life and career Born Joseph Roméo Jobin in Quebec City, Quebec, where he first took private voice ...

as Damon and

Roger Bourdin Roger Bourdin (14 June 1900 in Paris – 14 September 1973 in Paris) was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory. His career was largely based in France. His daughter is Françoise Bourdin. Life and career Born in t ...

as don Alvar. The dancing for this act was executed by Mlles Darsonval, Lafon and Guillot and Messieurs Kalioujny and Efimoff.

Roles

Synopsis

Prologue

''Scene: The palace of Hebe in the background and her gardens in the wings'' Hebe, goddess of youth, summons her followers to take part in a festival (Air: ''Vous, qui d'Hébé suivez les lois''). Young French, Spanish, Italians and Poles rush to celebrate with a series of dances, including a musette. The ballet is interrupted by the noise of drums and trumpets. It is Bellona, goddess of war, who arrives on the stage accompanied by warriors bearing flags. Bellona calls on the youths to seek out military glory (Air and chorus: ''La Gloire vous appelle''). Hebe prays to Cupid (L'Amour) to use his power to hold them back. Cupid descends on a cloud with his followers. He decides to abandon Europe in favour of the "Indies", where love is more welcome.

Entrée I – ''Le turc généreux'' (The Generous Turk)

''Scene: The gardens of Osman Pasha bordering the sea'' Osman Pasha is in love with his slave, the young Émilie, but she rejects him, telling him she was about to be married when a group of brigands abducted her. Osman urges her to give up hope that her fiancé is still alive (Air: ''Il faut que l'amour s'envole'') but Émilie refuses to believe this is true. The sky turns dark as a storm brews; Émilie sees the violent weather as an image of her despair (Air: ''Vaste empire des mers''). A chorus of shipwrecked sailors is heard (Chorus: ''Ciel! de plus d'une mort''). Émilie laments that they too will be taken captive. She recognises one of the sailors as her fiancé Valère. Their joy at their reunion is tempered by sadness at the thought they are both slaves now. Osman enters and is furious to see the couple embracing. However, unexpectedly, he announces he will free them. He too has recognised Valère, who was once his master but magnanimously freed him. Osman loads Valère's surviving ships with gifts and the couple praise his generosity. They call on the winds to blow them back to France (Duet and chorus: ''Volez, Zéphyrs''). The act ends with celebratory dances as Valère and Émilie prepare to set sail.

Entrée II – ''Les incas du Pérou'' (The Incas of Peru)

''Scene: a desert in Peru with a volcano in the background'' Carlos, a Spanish officer, is in love with the Inca princess Phani. He urges her to escape with him but she fears the anger of the Incas, who are preparing to celebrate the Festival of the Sun. Nevertheless, she is prepared to marry him (Air: ''Viens, Hymen''). The Inca priest Huascar is also in love with Phani but suspects he has a rival and decides to resort to subterfuge. Huascar leads the ceremony of the adoration of the Sun, which is interrupted by a sudden earthquake. Huascar declares this means the gods want Phani to choose him as her husband. Carlos enters and tells Phani the earthquake was a trick, artificially created by Huascar. Carlos and Phani sing of their love while Huascar swears revenge (Trio: ''Pour jamais''). Huascar provokes an eruption of the volcano and is crushed by its burning rocks.

Entrée III – ''Les fleurs'' (The Flowers)

* First version. ''Scene: The gardens of Ali's palace''
Prince Tacmas is in love with Zaïre, a slave belonging to his favourite Ali, even though he has a slave girl of his own, Fatime. Tacmas appears at Ali's palace disguised as a merchant woman so he can slip into the harem unnoticed and test Zaïre's feelings for him. Zaïre enters and laments that she is unhappily in love (Air: ''Amour, Amour, quand du destin j'éprouve la rigueur''). Tacmas overhears her and is determined to find out the name of his rival. Fatime now enters, disguised as a Polish slave, and Tacmas believes he has found Zaïre's secret lover. Enraged, he casts off his disguise and is about to stab Fatime when she too reveals her true identity. It turns out that Zaïre has been in love with Tacmas all along just as Fatime has been in love with Ali. The two couples rejoice in this happy resolution (Quartet: ''Tendre amour'') and the act ends with the Persians celebrating the Festival of Flowers. * Second Version. Sultana Fatime suspects her husband Tacmas of cheating on her with Atalide; she therefore disguises herself as a slave, succeeding in gaining Atalide's confidence and eventually recognises her suspicions are groundless. The happy couple take part in the Festival of Flowers.

Entrée IV – ''Les sauvages'' (The Savages)

''Scene: The stage shows a grove in a forest in America, on the borders of the French and Spanish colonies, where the ceremony of the Peace Pipe is about to be celebrated'' Adario, a Native American, is in love with Zima, daughter of a native chief, but he fears the rivalry of the Spaniard Don Alvar and the Frenchman Damon (Air: ''Rivaux des mes exploits, rivaux des mes amours''). The Europeans plead with Zima for her love, but she says Damon is too fickle and Alvar is too jealous; she prefers the natural love shown by Adario (Air: ''Sur nos bords l'amour vole'') and the couple vow to marry (Duet: ''Hymen, viens nous unir d'une chaîne éternelle''). The act ends with the Europeans joining the natives in the ceremony of peace (Chorus: ''Forêts paisibles'').

Recordings of the complete work

* 1973 –

Rachel Yakar Rachel Yakar (born 3 March 1938) is a French soprano. Yakar was born in Lyon, France. She studied under Germaine Lubin at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1963, she made her debut at Strasbourg. For the next twenty years, she was associated with the D ...

, Sonia Nigoghossian, Bruce Brewer,

Jean-Christophe Benoît Jean-Christophe Benoît (18 March 1925 – 21 February 2019) was a French baritone, who enjoyed a long career in France and francophone countries on the stage, the concert platform and radio and television. He was born in Paris into a professiona ...

, chorus and orchestra conducted by

Jean-Claude Malgoire Jean-Claude Malgoire (25 November 1940 – 14 April 2018) was a French oboist and later conductor. Early life Malgoire was born on 25 November 1940 in Avignon, France. His mother was born in Italy. Malgoire graduated from the Paris Conservatory ...

, on three LPs, CBS 77365; note: nobody sings Amour in the Prologue * 1974 – Gerda Hartman, Jennifer Smith (sopranos); Louis Devos, John Elwes (tenors);

Philippe Huttenlocher Philippe Huttenlocher (born 29 November 1942) is a Swiss baritone. Life and career He was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He first studied violin at the conservatory in Neuchâtel, and then voice in Fribourg. In 1972, he won the international ...

(baritone). Ensemble Vocal à Coeur-Joie de Valence, Orchestre Paillard, conducted by

Jean-François Paillard Jean-François Paillard (12 April 1928 – 15 April 2013) was a French conductor. He was born in Vitry-le-François and received his musical training at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won first prize in music history, and the Salzburg Moza ...

, on Erato 4509-95310-2 * 1991 – Miriam Ruggeri (soprano),

Bernard Deletré Bernard Deletré is a French operatic bass- baritone . Life After studying flute and singing in the North of France, followed by a first prize in singing at the Conservatoire de Paris, Deletré performed with the Groupe Vocal de France before ...

(bass),

Howard Crook Howard Crook (born June 15, 1947) is an American lyric tenor who has lived and worked in the Netherlands and France since the early 1980s. He was born in Rutherford, New Jersey, and educated at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio and then Unive ...

(tenor),

Nicolas Rivenq Nicolas Rivenq (born 1958) is a contemporary French baritone. Born in London, Rivenq studied music at the "École d'Art lyrique" of the Paris Opéra, as well as the Indiana University. He has participated in numerous productions of baroque ...

(baritone), Noémi Rime (soprano),

Sandrine Piau Sandrine Piau (born 5 June 1965) is a French soprano. She is particularly renowned in Baroque music although also excels in Romantic and modernist art songs. She has the versatility to perform works from Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart to Schumann, Debus ...

(soprano),

Jean-Paul Fouchécourt file:JP Fouchécourt 03900.jpg, 2015 Jean-Paul Fouchécourt is a French people, French tenor, mostly as an opera singer. He was born on 30 August 1958 at Blanzy in the Bourgogne, Burgundy region. He is best known for singing French Baroque music, e ...

(tenor),

Jérôme Correas Jérôme Correas (born 3 August 1966) is a French Conducting, conductor, harpsichordist and Bass (voice type), bass baritone. Life Born in Les Lilas, at the age of five Correas began studying the piano. In 1982, he met the great harpsichordist ...

(baritone), Isabelle Poulenard (soprano), Claron McFadden (soprano). The Ensemble of Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie, duration 3 hours 13 mins, Harmonia Mundi 901367 * 2003, filmed in Paris –

Nathan Berg Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible *Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David and ...

, Valérie Gabail, Nicolas Cavallier,

Patricia Petibon Patricia Petibon (born 27 February 1970) is a French soprano. Life Born in Montargis, Petibon's parents were both teachers. She initially studied the visual arts, including painting and subsequently changed her academic focus and earned a ba ...

Paul Agnew Paul Agnew (born 1964 in Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europ ...

, Jaël Azzaretti,

Danielle de Niese Danielle de Niese (born 11 April 1979) is an Australian-American lyric soprano. After success as a young child in singing competitions in Australia, she moved to the United States where she developed an operatic career. From 2005 she came to wi ...

, Anna Maria Panzarella,

. The Ensemble of Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie, released on 2 DVDs, BBC Opus Arte Catalog 923 * 2013, live in Vienna – Valérie Gabail, Stéphanie Révidat, Reinoud Van Mechelen, François-Nicolas Geslot, Aimery Lefèvre, Sydney Fierro, Chorus and Orchestra of

La Simphonie du Marais La Simphonie du Marais is a French music ensemble established in 1987 by recorder player Hugo Reyne. Today, it is located in the Logis de la Chabotterie of Saint-Sulpice-le-Verdon in Vendée. It performs exclusively vocal and instrumental Baroq ...

, conducted by

Hugo Reyne Hugo Reyne (born in 1961) is a contemporary French recorder player, oboist and conductor. He is the founder and music director of La Simphonie du Marais. Biography Born in Paris, Hugo Reyne began learning the flute and oboe at a very young a ...

, label: Musiques à la Charbotterie, on 3 CDs * 2014, filmed in February at the

Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux is an opera house in Bordeaux, France, first inaugurated on 17 April 1780. It was in this theatre that the ballet '' La fille mal gardée'' premiered in 1789, and where a young Marius Petipa staged some of his fir ...

– Amel Brahim Djelloul, Benoît Arnould, Olivera Topalovic, Judith van Wanroij, Les Talens Lyriques, conducted by

Christophe Rousset Christophe Rousset (; born 12 April 1961) is a French harpsichordist and conductor, who specializes in the performance of Baroque music on period instruments. He is also a musicologist, particularly of opera and European music of the 17th and 18 ...

, released on 2 DVDs by Alpha; note: uses the 1736 score for ''Les fleurs'' * 2016, filmed in July at the

Prinzregententheater The Prinzregententheater, or, as it was called in its first decades, the Prinz-Regenten-Theater, in English the Prince Regent Theatre, is a concert hall and opera house on Prinzregentenplatz in the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany. Building ...

in Munich – Benoit,

Lisette Oropesa Lisette Oropesa (born September 29, 1983) is an American operatic soprano of Cuban ancestry. She has a wide repertoire that includes works from Gluck, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Wagner, Verdi, Bizet, Massenet and Puccini. With her lyric ...

Anna Prohaska Anna Prohaska (born 1983) is an Austrian lyric soprano. She lives in Berlin. Career Anna Prohaska studied in Berlin at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music. Prohaska made her debut in 2002 at the Komische Oper in Harry Kupfer’s production of Br ...

, Quintans; Auvity, Moore, Vidal; Jurić, Lis, Nazmi; conducted by

Ivor Bolton Ivor Bolton Ivor Bolton (born 17 May 1958) is an English conductor and harpsichordist. Early life and education Bolton was born in Blackrod, Greater Manchester, England. He studied at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn and Clare Co ...

, live-streamed by

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

* 2019 – Chantal Santon-Jeffery, Katherine Watson,

Véronique Gens Véronique Gens (born 19 April 1966) is a French operatic soprano. She has spent much of her career recording and performing Baroque music, Baroque music. Gens was born in Orléans, France, and studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, winning fir ...

, Reinoud van Mechelen, Jean-Sébastien Bou, Thomas Dolié,

. Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra, conducted by Györgi Vashegyi. 1761 version (does not include ''Les fleurs'') on 2 CDs. Record label: Glossa, duration 123'41". * 2019 –

Clément Cogitore Clément Cogitore (born 27 August 1983) is a French Contemporary art, contemporary artist and filmmaker. Combining film, video, installations and photographs, Cogitore questions the modalities of cohabitation between humankind and its own image ...

(director), Bintou Dembélé (choreographer) and

Leonardo García Alarcón Leonardo García Alarcón (born 1976 in La Plata) is an Argentinian conductor specializing in baroque music. He studied harpsichord and organ and was assistant to Gabriel Garrido for several years, before founding the ensemble Cappella Mediterrane ...

(conductor), with the Cappella Mediterranea, Chœur de chambre de Namur, the Compagnie Rualité, the La Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine and

Opéra National de Paris The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

children's choir. Camille Maurane (on Philips) and

Gérard Souzay Gérard Souzay (8 December 1918 – 17 August 2004) was a French baritone, regarded as one of the very finest interpreters of mélodie (French art song) in the generation after Charles Panzéra and Pierre Bernac. Background and education He wa ...

(on Decca) recorded Huascar's ''Invocation au Soleil'' from the Peruvian ''Entrée''.

References

Notes Sources * Spire Pitou, ''The Paris Opéra – An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic 1715–1815'', Westport (Connecticut), Greenwood Press, 1985 () * Graham Sadler, ''Indes galantes, Les'', in Stanley Sadie (ed), ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Grove (Oxford University Press), New York, 1997, II, pp. 795–796. * Stéphane Wolff, ''L' Opéra au Palais Garnier, 1875–1962'' Paris, Entr'acte, 1962. Online sources * *
''Le magazine de l'opéra baroque'' accessed 1 February 2010
* ''Spectacles'' (period review of ''Les Indes galantes''), "Mercure de France, Dédié au Roy", Paris, Cavelier/Pissot/de Nully, September 1735, pp. 2035 ff (accessible for free online a
Gallica – B.N.F.

External links

*Les Indes Galantes, article from Grove Music Onlin

*
Short Synopsis of Les Indes galantes from NAXOS.COM

* Description of Les Indes galantes* French libretto of "Les Indes galantes" at: *
''opera.stanford.edu'' (with the 1st version of "Les fleurs)
*

''Gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France)''
(original libretto of the 1736 edition, Paris, Ballard, 1736: includes the second version of ''Les fleurs'')
''books.google''
(original libretto of the 1761 revival, Paris, de Lormel, 1761: only includes the first three ''entrées'', with the second version of ''Les fleurs'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Indes Galantes, Les 1735 operas Ballets by Jean-Philippe Rameau Ballets by Louis Fuzelier Ballets by Louis Dupré French-language operas Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera Operas Opéras-ballets Operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau