''Hésione'' (English: ''Hesione'') is an opera by the French composer

André Campra André Campra (; baptized 4 December 1660 – 29 June 1744) was a French composer and conductor of the Baroque era. The leading French opera composer in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau, Campra wrote several '' trag ...

. It takes the form of 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 i ...

'' in a prologue and five acts. The

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 ...

, by Antoine Danchet, is based on the

Greek myth Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories concern the ancien ...

Hesione In Greek mythology and later art, the name Hesione ( /hɪˈsaɪ.əniː/; Ancient Greek: Ἡσιόνη) refers to various mythological figures, of whom the Trojan princess Hesione is most known. Mythology According to the '' Bibliotheca'', the ...

and

Laomedon In Greek mythology, Laomedon (; , ''Lāomédōn'', "ruler of the people") was a Troy, Trojan king, son of Ilus (son of Tros), Ilus and thus nephew of Ganymede (mythology), Ganymede and Assaracus. Laomedon was variously identified with differe ...

Performance history

''Hésione'' was first performed on 21 December 1700 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 kn ...

in the

Salle du Palais-Royal Salle is the French word for 'hall', 'room' or 'auditorium', as in: *Salle des Concerts Herz The Salle des Concerts Herz, usually referred to simply as the Salle Herz, was a concert hall in Paris, located at 48, rue de la Victoire. It was built ...

in Paris. The opera was a great success at its premiere.

Roles

*The Priestess of the Sun (Prologue), a priestess of

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

, mezzo-soprano,

Julie d'Aubigny Julie d'Aubigny (; 1673–1707), better known as Mademoiselle Maupin or La Maupin, was a French opera singer. Little is known for certain about her life; her tumultuous career and flamboyant lifestyle were the subject of gossip, rumour, and c ...

*The Sun (Prologue), Laomédon, baritone,

Charles Hardouin Charles Hardouin (1694 in Brittany, fl. Paris – 1718) was a French operatic baritone (''basse taille''). Beginning his career as a cathedral singer, Hardouin was engaged by the Paris Opéra as a principal singer around 1693–1694, though from ...

*Anchise, bass-baritone,

Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard (10 August 1669 – 24 August 1741) was a French operatic baritone (''basse taille''). Thévenard was born at Orléans or possibly Paris. Arriving in Paris in 1690, he studied under the composer André Cardinal Destou ...

*Hésione, soprano, Fanchon Moreau *Vénus, soprano,

Marie-Louise Desmatins Marie-Louise Desmatins (fl. 1682–1708) was a French soprano and creator of many roles in French Baroque opera. She performed in Jean Baptiste Lully's '' Persée'' (1682), '' Armide'' (1686 and 1703 revival), '' Achille et Polyxène'' (1687), ...

*Télamon,

haute-contre The ''haute-contre'' (plural ''hautes-contre'') was the primary French operatic tenor voice, predominant in French Baroque and Classical opera, from the middle of the seventeenth century until the latter part of the eighteenth century. History ...

, Pierre Chopelet *Cléon, Neptune, bass-baritone,

Jean Dun Jean Dun, also known as Jean Dun "père", (? – 1735) was a French opera singer active at the Paris Opéra where he created many bass roles during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was also the bass soloist at the church of Saint-Paul- ...

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...

, Mlle Heusé *'A pleasure', haute-contre, Jean Boutelou

Synopsis

*Prologue A depiction of celebrations of the Sun in an amphitheatre in ancient Rome. *Act One Télamon (

Telamon In Greek mythology, Telamon (; Ancient Greek: Τελαμών, ''Telamōn'' means "broad strap") was the son of King Aeacus of Aegina, and Endeïs, a mountain nymph. The elder brother of Peleus, Telamon sailed alongside Jason as one of his Argon ...

), King of Salamis, is unhappy that the princess Hésione (

) prefers the love of his rival Anchise (

Anchises In Greek and Roman mythology, Anchises (; ) was a member of the royal family of Troy. He was said to have been the son of King Capys of Dardania and Themiste, daughter of Ilus, who was son of Tros. He is most famous as the father of Aeneas a ...

). Vénus (

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

, the goddess of love) comes to his aid and says she will separate Anchise and Hésione. An oracle announces that Anchise must travel to

Mount Ida In Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), which was also known as the '' Phrygian Ida' ...

to learn the will of the gods. *Act Two On Mount Ida, Vénus appears to Anchise and tries to win his love, but in spite of the charming ''divertissement'' she puts on for him, Anchise rejects her. She decides to take her revenge on Hésione. *Act Three Hésione, believing Anchise has fallen in love with Vénus, is wracked with jealousy. *Act Four Vénus conjures a vision of Hésione and Télamon together which makes Anchise jealous. But the two discover the goddess' illusion and are reconciled. Meanwhile, the god

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

is angry with Hésione's father, Laomédon (

), King of

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

, and destroys the walls of his city. He also sends a sea monster which Télamon promises to vanquish providing he is given Hésione's hand in marriage as a reward. *Act Five Anchise tries to kill the sea monster too but it is invincible. Vénus explains to him that she has arranged that only Télamon will be able to defeat it and so win Hésione. The Trojans celebrate Télamon's victory and his betrothal to the princess. Anchise curses them and predicts Troy's final destruction. The gods award Anchise to Vénus, who has her Zephyrs carry him off for herself.

Sources

* *''The Viking Opera Guide'' ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
Le magazine de l'opéra baroque

External links

Libretto, 1700
at Gallica
Performance score
edited by John S. Powell, a musicologist at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a Private university, private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church, although it is now nondenominational, and the campus ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hesione Tragédies en musique Operas by André Campra French-language operas Operas based on classical mythology Operas Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera 1700 operas Greek and Roman deities in fiction Venus (mythology) Neptune (mythology) Troy