''Céphale et Procris'' (''Cephalus and Procris'') is an opera by

André Grétry André Ernest Modeste Grétry (; baptised 11 February 1741; died 24 September 1813) was a composer from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (present-day Belgium), who worked from 1767 onwards in France and took French nationality. He is most famous ...

with a French-language

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

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 wi ...

based on the Classical myth of

Cephalus Cephalus or Kephalos (; ) is the son of Hermes, husband of Eos and a hero-figure in Greek mythology. Cephalus carried as a theophoric name by historical persons. The root of this name is , meaning "head". Mythological * Cephalus, son of Hermes ...

and

Procris In Greek mythology, Procris (, ''gen''.: Πρόκριδος) was an Athenian princess, the third daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens and his wife, Praxithea. Homer mentions her in the ''Odyssey'' as one of the many dead spirits Odysseus sa ...

as told in Book Seven of

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

's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' (, , ) is a Latin Narrative poetry, narrative poem from 8 Common Era, CE by the Ancient Rome, Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''Masterpiece, magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the world from its Cre ...

''. It takes the form of a ''

ballet héroïque Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

'' in three acts. It was first performed at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

on 30 December 1773.

Performance history

''Céphale et Procris'' was first given at Versailles on 30 December 1773 as part of the royal wedding celebrations of the Comte d'Artois (the third grandson of

King Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), 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 maturity (then defi ...

) and

Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy Maria Theresa of Savoy (; 31 January 1756 – 2 June 1805) was a French princess by marriage to Charles Philippe, Count of Artois. Her husband was the grandson of Louis XV and younger brother of Louis XVI. Nineteen years after Maria Theresa’s ...

. It was not well received as the audience found the music too modern. It was revived at the Académie royale de musique (the

Paris Opéra 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 kn ...

) on 2 May 1775, where it ran for 12 performances. Again, the reception was poor, with critics focussing on the inadequacies of Marmontel's libretto. A revival in May 1777 was more successful, with a total of 26 performances.

Music and libretto

''Céphale et Procris'' was part of a movement to introduce a more Italianate style of writing recitative, arias and ensembles into serious French opera. It thus has much in common with such contemporary works as Philidor's ''

Ernelinde, princesse de Norvège ''Ernelinde, princesse de Norvège'' (''Ernelinde, Princess of Norway'') is a three-act operatic tragédie lyrique, by the French composer François-André Danican Philidor. The libretto was by Antoine-Alexandre-Henri Poinsinet, after opera libre ...

'' (1767) and Gossec's '' Sabinus'' (1773), both of which were also played during the Comte d'Artois' wedding festivities. Although Marmontel described the opera as a ''ballet héroïque'', the musicologist Benoït Dratwicki writes that ''Céphale et Procris'' does not really fit the genre as conceived earlier in the 18th century. Rather, it is closer to ''

tragédie lyrique This is a glossary list of opera genres, giving alternative names. "Opera" is an Italian word (short for "opera in musica"); it was not at first ''commonly'' used in Italy (or in other countries) to refer to the genre of particular works. Most co ...

'' and even contains elements which look forward to

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

.Dratwicki, pp. 24–25

Roles

Synopsis

Act 1

''Scene: A forest''
Procris is a nymph who once followed the goddess Diana but she abandoned this way of life after falling in love with the hunter Cephalus. Aurora, goddess of the dawn, is also in love with Cephalus and plots to eliminate her rival. She disguises her identity and prophesies that Cephalus will become an instrument of Diana's vengeance and kill Procris. To avoid this fate, Cephalus runs away from Procris.

Act 2

''Scene: Aurora's palace''
Cephalus takes refuge in Aurora's palace but the goddess's promises of a life of bliss fail to seduce him from his unwavering love for Procris.

Act 3

''Scene: A desolate place in the middle of a forest''
Jealousy torments Procris with fears that Cephalus has deserted her. Cephalus is out hunting. As he approaches, Procris hides in the undergrowth to eavesdrop on him. Mistaking her sighs for the sounds of an animal, Cephalus shoots her with an arrow and mortally wounds her. Diana's vengeance is fulfilled. But Cupid descends from the heavens, revives Procris and grants the couple immortality.

Recordings

Complete opera

*''Céphale et Procris'', Pierre-Yves Pruvot (Céphale), Katia Vellétaz (Procris), Les Agrémens et le Chœur de Chambre de Namur, conducted by

Guy Van Waas Guy Van Waas (Brussels, 15 April 1948) is a Belgian conductor, clarinetist and organist. He was clarinetist of the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. Since 2001 he is direc ...

(Ricercar, 2 CDs, 2010)

Ballet suite

*On ''Grétry: Suites and Overtures'', Orchestre de Bretagne, conducted by

Stefan Sanderling Stefan Sanderling (born 2 August 1964 in East Berlin, East Germany) is an orchestral conductor. He is the son of the conductor Kurt Sanderling and the double-bass player Barbara Sanderling. His half-brother is the conductor Thomas Sanderling. H ...

(ASV 1 CD, 2001) * ''Gretry: Céphale et Procris, Suite'' (arranged by

Constant Lambert Leonard Constant Lambert (23 August 190521 August 1951) was a British composer, conductor, and author. He was the founding music director of the Royal Ballet, and (alongside Dame Ninette de Valois and Sir Frederick Ashton) he was a major figu ...

). On 'The Decca Recordings', New Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Robert Irving (2018 - originally recorded 1955)

References

Sources

*, booklet notes to the Guy Van Waas recording *

Michel Brenet Marie Bobillier, real name Antoinette Christine Marie Bobillier (12 April 1858 – 4 November 1918) was a French musicologist, music critic, writing under her pseudonym Michel Brenet. Biography Born in Lunéville of a military father, captain an ...

, ''Grétry: sa vie et ses œuvres'' (F. Hayez, Brussels, 1884)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cephale et Procris (Gretry) French-language operas Operas by André Grétry Operas 1773 operas Operas based on Metamorphoses Libretti by Jean-François Marmontel