
''Platée'' is an
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
in a prologue and three acts 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 ...
with a
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
Adrien-Joseph Le Valois d'Orville
Adrien-Joseph le Valois d'Orville, real name Adrien Joseph de Valois, (paroisse Notre Dame des Champs in Paris, 8 June 1715 – 1780) was an 18th-century French librettist. The son of Adrien de Valois and Marie Suzanne Durand de Linois, he married ...
. Rameau bought the rights to the libretto ''Platée ou Junon jalouse'' (''Plataea, or Juno Jealous'') by
Jacques Autreau
Early Life
Jacques Autreau, a French dramatic poet and painter, was born in 1657 in France. According to the registers of the church of Saint Barthélemy, he was baptized on October 30 of the same year.
Career Artistic Career
A poem addr ...
(1657–1745) and had d'Orville modify it. The ultimate source of the story is a myth related by the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
writer
Pausanias in his ''Guide to Greece''.
Rameau's first attempt at comic opera, the plot concerns an ugly water
nymph
A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...
who believes that
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
, the king of the gods, is in love with her. The work was initially called a ''ballet bouffon'', though it was later styled a ''comédie lyrique'', putting it in the same category as Rameau's ''
Les Paladins
''Les Paladins'' is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau first performed on 12 February 1760 at the Paris Opera. The author of the libretto is not known for sure but was probably one of the Duplat de Monticourt brothers. Rameau called ''Les Paladins ...
''. It was written for the celebrations of the wedding of
Louis, Dauphin of France, son 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 ...
, to the Infanta
María Teresa Rafaela of Spain
Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France (Maria Teresa Antonia Rafaela; 11 June 1726 – 22 July 1746), was the daughter of King Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese and the wife of Louis, Dauphin of France, son of King Louis XV ...
, who, according to contemporary sources, like the title character was no beauty. Instead of getting the composer into trouble, the entertainment at
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 ...
seems to have been well received, and Rameau was appointed a few months later to the position of Composer of the King's Chamber Music with a sizable annual pension.
The opera was first performed on 31 March 1745 at the
Grande Écurie,
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 ...
.
Background to the opera
Comic opera was relatively rare during the
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
era in France and the musicologist
Cuthbert Girdlestone
Cuthbert Morton Girdlestone (17 September 1895 – 10 December 1975) was a British musicologist and literary scholar.
Born in Bovey Tracey, Devon, he was educated at Cambridge and the Sorbonne, and thereafter took up the chair in French in Arm ...
expresses his surprise that none of Rameau's contemporaries seem to have remarked on the innovative nature of ''Platée''. Rameau may have been inspired by a revival of an earlier comic opera, ''
Les amours de Ragonde
''Les amours de Ragonde'' (''The Loves of Ragonde'', original title: ''Le mariage de Ragonde et de Colin ou La Veillée de Village'') is an opera in three acts by Jean-Joseph Mouret with a libretto by Philippe Néricault Destouches. It was first ...
'' by
Jean-Joseph Mouret
Jean-Joseph Mouret (11 April 1682 in Avignon – 10 December 1738 in Charenton-le-Pont) was a French composer whose dramatic works made him one of the leading exponents of Baroque music in his country. Even though most of his works are rarely per ...
, in 1742, or by
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (23 December 1689 – 28 October 1755) was a French baroque composer of instrumental music, cantatas, opéra-ballets, and vocal music. Boismortier was one of the first composers to have no patrons: having obtained a ...
's comic opera-ballet, ''
Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse
''Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse'' (''Don Quixote at the Duchess'') is a "comic ballet" ('' comédie lyrique'') by the French baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. Although it is described as a ballet, it is sung throughout with a libretto ...
'' from 1743.
Performance history and reception
''Platée'' was one of the most highly regarded of Rameau's operas during his lifetime. It even pleased critics who had expressed hostility to his musical style during the
Querelle des Bouffons
The ("Quarrel of the Comic Actors"), also known as the ("War of the Comic Actors"), was the name given to a battle of musical philosophies that took place in Paris between 1752 and 1754. The controversy concerned the relative merits of French ...
(an argument over the relative merits of French and Italian opera).
Melchior Grimm
Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm (26 September 172319 December 1807) was a German-born French-language journalist, art critic, diplomat and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers''. ...
called it a "sublime work" and even Rameau's bitter enemy
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...
referred to it as "divine". The reason for this praise may be because these critics saw ''Platée'', a comic opera, paving the way for the lighter form of ''
opera buffa
Opera buffa (, "comic opera"; : ''opere buffe'') is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ''commedia in musica'', ''commedia per musica'', ''dramma bernesc ...
'' they favoured.
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
however, who was in the audience in Versailles, wrote to his niece, "You didn't miss much except a large crowd and a very bad work. It is the height of indecency, boredom, and impertinence."
The work received one performance at the marriage festivities at Versailles in 1745. Little is known about this production, except that the title role was taken by the ''
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 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 ...
, a famous character actor. Rameau revised the opera in collaboration with the librettist
Ballot de Sauvot and presented it at the
Opéra in Paris on 9 February 1749. Its first public run was very successful and it was later revived in 1750 and again in 1754, always starring in the title role the second leading ''haute-contre'' of the ''Opéra'', , called La Tour. According to
Rodolfo Celletti, the role of Platée performed by La Tour was the highest ''haute-contre'' part ever written by Rameau. The 1754 revival was part of the continuing ''
Querelle des Bouffons
The ("Quarrel of the Comic Actors"), also known as the ("War of the Comic Actors"), was the name given to a battle of musical philosophies that took place in Paris between 1752 and 1754. The controversy concerned the relative merits of French ...
'', pitted against
Leonardo Leo
Leonardo Leo (5 August 1694 – 31 October 1744), more correctly Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque music, Baroque composer.
Biography
Leo was born in San Vito degli Schiavoni (currently known as San Vito dei Normanni, province of ...
's Italian ''opera buffa'', ''I viaggiatori''. ''Platée'' was last performed complete during Rameau's lifetime in 1759.
The next production would not take place until 1901 in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, in a heavily adapted German version by Hans Schilling-Ziemssen. The French version reappeared at a production in
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
in 1917 but ''Platée'' only returned to France at the
Aix-en-Provence Festival in 1956 with young tenor
Michel Sénéchal as the queen of frogs, a part which Sénéchal took again in the revival presented 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 kn ...
at the
Salle Favart
The Salle Favart (), officially the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique (), is a Paris opera house and theatre, the current home of the Opéra-Comique. It was built from 1893 to 1898 in a neo-Baroque style to the designs of the French architect Louis ...
in 1977, with
Michel Plasson as conductor.
[Opéra-Comique’s programme](_blank)
for the performances of ''Platée'', 2014 The opera made its debut in the Netherlands in 1968, in the United Kingdom in 1983 and in the United States in 1987. The London performances, in a production by the English Bach Festival at
Sadler's Wells, conducted by
Jean-Claude Malgoire, featured Jean-Claude Orliac in the title role, with
Henry Herford, Peter Jeffes and
Marilyn Hill Smith.
''Platée'' appeared again at the Salle Favart in 1989 with Jean-Claude Malgoire as conductor,
and in 1999 it was staged at the
Palais Garnier
The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 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 1861 to 1875 at the ...
in Paris in a production by
Laurent Pelly that was later released on DVD, with
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, then
Paul Agnew
Paul Agnew (born 11 April 1964 in Glasgow) is a Scottish operatic tenor and conductor.
Biography
Agnew read music as a Choral Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with various groups specializing in early music (Ex Cathe ...
, in the title part, conducted by
Marc Minkowski
Marc Minkowski (born 4 October 1962) is a French conductor of classical music, especially known for his interpretations of French Baroque works. Minkowski was musical director of Mozartwoche in Salzburg, Austria, from 2013 to 2017 and was gene ...
. The opera was also presented as a co-production of
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived.
The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...
and the Mark Morris Dance Group, directed by
Mark Morris during the 1997
Edinburgh Festival
__NOTOC__
This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...
, a production that then toured to London and the USA. The opera was also staged by the
Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the f ...
as part of the Summer 2007 Festival season in an adaptation of the Paris Opera production also directed by Laurent Pelly, with many of the same production team, and conducted by
Harry Bicket. In 2014 ''Platée'' had a new production at Vienna's
Theater an der Wien
The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prim ...
and Paris'
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
conducted by Paul Agnew and directed by
Robert Carsen.
Its first performance in Australia was by
Pinchgut Opera in Sydney, directed by
Neil Armfield, conducted by
Erin Helyard, with
Kanen Breen in the title role,
Cheryl Barker
Cheryl Ruth Barker (born 22 April 1960, Sydney) is an Australian operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the late 1980s. She has sung on several complete opera recordings with Chandos Records, including the title rol ...
as Juno and her husband,
Peter Coleman-Wright, as Jupiter. In 2023, the
Zürich Opera House
The Zurich Opera House () is an opera house in the Swiss city of Zurich. Located at the Sechseläutenplatz, it has been the home of the Zurich Opera since 1891, and also houses the Bernhard-Theater Zürich. It is also home to Ballett Zürich.
I ...
featured a new production of the opera staged by Jetske Mijnssen and conducted by
Emmanuelle Haïm, with cast including Mathias Vidal,
Evan Hughes,
Katia Ledoux, Renato Dolcini and
Alasdair Kent.
Roles
Synopsis
Prologue
After a night of partying, the Chorus wakes Thespis from a drunken sleep. When Thalie and Momus arrive, they seek Thespis' help in planning the presentation of an entertainment in which they will recreate a long-ago attempt by Jupiter to cure his wife, Juno, of her jealousy. Initially left out of the planning, a furious Cupid arrives on the scene and proclaims that it will be impossible to stage the event without him: "how could there be a play without the inspiration of love?" he asks. All four then lay out the plan.
Act 1
In the middle of a raging storm, Mercury comes down from the heavens and explains to Citheron that it is caused by Juno's jealousy and that he has been sent by Jupiter to find a way of taking his mind off the problem. Citheron's solution is to propose the enactment of the plan put together by the four conspirators: Jupiter will pretend to fall in love with the ugly marsh nymph, Platée — who is convinced that everything that comes near her pond is madly in love with her — and, when Juno finds them together and about to marry, she will realize that her jealousy is baseless and the couple will be re-united.
After Platée arrives, Mercury leaves to inform Jupiter. While she seems to believe that it is Cithéron who is in love with her — in spite of his denials — she is delighted to hear from Mercury that Jupiter will soon descend from the heavens and declare his love: "The god of thunder, drawn to earth by your beauty, wishes to cast at your feet both his heart and the Universe." A new storm created by Juno bursts forth, but Platée is not put out and the marsh creatures retreat to their watery homes.
Act 2
Having sent Juno off to Athens, Mercury and Cithéron find a hiding place to observe the proceedings. Accompanied by Momus, Jupiter arrives, revealing himself first as a donkey (to the accompanying sounds of donkey braying from the orchestra), then as an owl, and finally, in person in a clap of thunder and bright light. An extended ''divertissment'' proceeds, including a show-stopping highlight in which La Folie (Madness) sings the story of Apollo and Daphne as a warning to Platée not to get involved with Jupiter. Dancers and singers alternately praise and mock Platée.
Act 3
As people arrive for the marriage of Jupiter and Platée, a furious-at-being-tricked Juno has returned from Athens but she is persuaded to hide until the right moment. Momus appears, poorly disguised as Love, and offers "gifts" to Platée. Jupiter and Platée begin to take part in the wedding ceremony, but, stalling after his initial "I swear", he awaits the arrival of Juno. When she finally sees Platée and removes her veil, she realizes that it was all a joke. The gods ascend back to heaven and the humiliated Platée leaps back into the pond.
Recordings
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*Sadler, Graham, et al., ''The New Grove French Baroque Masters: Lully, Charpentier, Lalande, Couperin, Rameau'', Scranton, Pennsylvania: Norton & Co, 1986
External links
CD Review of Minkowski's 1989/1990 recordingby Nicholas Anderson, ''
Gramophone
A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...
''
DVD review of Minkowski's 2002/2003 recording jp.rameau.free.fr (in French)
Libretto (1745) Gallica (in French)]
Plot summary spikesworld.spike-jamie.com
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Platee
Operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau
Operas
French-language operas
1745 operas
Operas based on classical mythology