''Thésée'' (; ) is a ''

tragédie en musique Tragédie en musique (, ''musical tragedy''), also known as tragédie lyrique (, ''lyric tragedy''), is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used by his followers until the second half of the eighteenth century. Operas in ...

'', an early type of French opera, in a prologue and five acts with music by

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas ...

and a

libretto 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 li ...

by Philippe Quinault based on

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom ...

's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his '' magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

''. It was first performed on 11 January 1675Although the original libretto states the date of the premiere as 10 January, most sources give it as 11 January and the listing of performances o
''Thesée''
at ''césar'' gives the date as 12 January. by the

Paris Opera 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 ...

for the royal court at the

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the ''département'' of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (N ...

and was first performed in public in April at the

Théâtre du Palais-Royal The Théâtre du Palais-Royal () is a 750-seat Parisian theatre at 38 rue de Montpensier, located at the northwest corner of the Palais-Royal in the Galerie de Montpensier at its intersection with the Galerie de Beaujolais. Brief history ...

in Paris. The plot centres around a

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with ...

Aegeus In Greek mythology, Aegeus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰγεύς, Aigeús, also spelled Aegeas) was an archaic figure in the founding myth of Athens. The "goat-man" who gave his name to the Aegean Sea was the father of Theseus. He was also the founder o ...

wants to marry his ward, princess Aegle, while the sorceress

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jaso ...

wishes to marry the young warrior

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describ ...

, but Theseus and Aegle love each other. Medea attempts to force the lovers to renounce each other: first by using her magic to bring Aegle to a place of torment, then by convincing Aegeus to have Theseus killed as a potential threat to his reign. But before Theseus can drink the poison he has been given, Aegeus realises that Theseus is his lost son. He then gives Aegle to Theseus. Medea takes vengeance by destroying the festive setting, but the goddess

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the R ...

undoes this.

Roles

Synopsis

Prologue

Mars and Venus and their followers sing the praises of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

Act 1

Princess Aegle is in love with Theseus and prays for his safe return from battle against rebels who are threatening King Aegeus of Athens. Aegeus enters victorious. He tells Aegle he is in love with her, despite being betrothed to the sorceress Medea. Égée says he now intends to marry Medea to his son, whom he has hidden away at Troezen and has not seen for years. The Athenians celebrate their victory with a sacrifice to the goddess Minerva.

Act 2

Medea is in love with Theseus. She agrees to let Aegeus break off their engagement, so he can pursue Aegle. Aegeus is jealous of Theseus's popularity with the people of Athens, who want to make him the king's heir because of his bravery in battle. Medea offers to help Theseus, who reveals to her that he is in love with Aegle, provoking the sorceress to jealousy.

Act 3

Medea threatens Aegle that she will use her magic against her if the princess does not renounce her love for Theseus and marry the king instead. She conjures up a vision of a terrifying desert full of monsters, and also menaces Aegle with demons from hell.

Act 4

Medea orders Aegle to marry Aegeus, otherwise she will put Theseus's life in danger. She conjures a vision of the sleeping Theseus in which she threatens to sacrifice him with a knife. Theseus wakes and is perplexed by Églé's sudden coldness towards him. She explains she is trying to save his life. Theseus reveals that he is Égée's son from Troezen. Medea appears to relent and bless the betrothal of Theseus and Aegle.

Act 5

In reality, Medea is still tortured by jealousy. She persuades Aegeus to kill Theseus, warning him that if he makes Theseus his heir, the king will wrong his missing son. Aegeus hands Theseus a poisoned chalice, but he recognises Theseus's sword and realises the young man must be his son. Just in time, he prevents Theseus from drinking the poison. He agrees to let Theseus marry Aegle. Thwarted, Medea escapes on a flying chariot pulled by dragons, burning down the palace. The Athenians pray to Minerva who raises a magnificent new palace and the opera ends with rejoicing.

Recording

*''Thésée'', Howard Crook (Theseus), Laura Pudwell (Medea), Ellen Hargis (Aegle), Harry van der Kamp (Aegeus), Boston Early Music Festival Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs (CPO, 3 CDs, 2007)

References

;Notes ;Sources *Original libretto: ''Thésée. Tragédie en Musique Ornée d'Entrées de Ballet, De Machines & de Changements de Theatre. Representée devant Sa Majesté à Saint Germain en Laye, le dixième jour de Ianvier 1675'', Paris, Ballard, 1675 (accessible for free online a
Gallica - B.N.F.
*Period printed score: ''Thésée. Tragédie mise en musique par Monsiuer De Lully, Sur-Intendant de la Musique du Roy'', Paris, Ballard, 1688 (accessible online a
Gallica - B.N.F.
* Parvopassu, Clelia, ''Thésée'', in Gelli, Piero & Poletti, Filippo (ed), ''Dizionario dell'opera 2008'', Milan, Baldini Castoldi Dalai, 2007, pp. 1280–1281, (reproduced online a
Opera Manager
. *''The New Grove French Baroque Masters'', ed. Graham Sadler (Macmillan, 1986) *''The Viking Opera Guide'' ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thesee Operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully French-language operas Operas 1675 operas Operas based on classical mythology Operas based on Metamorphoses