Description

A pivotal work in the history of French opera<p data-start="170" data-end="384"> <strong data-start="170" data-end="205">Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687)</strong><br data-start="205" data-end="208"> <strong data-start="208" data-end="218">Armide</strong><br data-start="218" data-end="221"> Tragedy in music in a prologue and five acts<br data-start="269" data-end="272"> Libretto by Philippe Quinault, based on Tasso's <em data-start="309" data-end="332">Jerusalem Delivered</em><br data-start="341" data-end="344"> Created at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in 1686</p><p data-start="386" data-end="698"> <strong data-start="386" data-end="402">Distribution</strong><br data-start="402" data-end="405"> Stéphanie d'Oustrac — Armide<br data-start="433" data-end="436"> Cyril Auvity — Renaud<br data-start="457" data-end="460"> Tomislav Lavoie — Hidraot, Ubalde<br data-start="493" data-end="496"> Marie Perbost — Wisdom, Phoenice, Melissa<br data-start="537" data-end="540"> Victoire Bunel — Glory, Sidonie, Lucinde<br data-start="581" data-end="584"> Timothée Varon — Artémidore, La Haine<br data-start="621" data-end="624"> David Tricou — Danish Knight, Fortunate Lover<br data-start="670" data-end="673"> Jeanne Lefort — Shepherdess</p><p data-start="700" data-end="750"> The Harmonic Poem<br data-start="719" data-end="722"> Directed by: Vincent Dumestre</p><p data-start="752" data-end="882"> <strong data-start="752" data-end="778">Friday, March 27 at 8 p.m.</strong><br data-start="778" data-end="781"> Royal Opera<br data-start="792" data-end="795"> Concert in French, with French and English surtitles<br data-start="850" data-end="853"> Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes, including intermission</p><p data-start="950" data-end="1252"> Among the landmark works in the history of opera, Lully's <em data-start="1004" data-end="1012">Armide</em> holds a unique place. The last tragédie lyrique by the Lully-Quinault partnership, it represents the culmination of their shared artistic vision. The composer died the following year, leaving this work as his musical testament.</p><p data-start="1254" data-end="1694"> Quinault's libretto, one of his most dramatically powerful, is rooted in the tension between love and duty, light and darkness: the Christian knight Renaud, captive of the Muslim sorceress Armide, shatters moral and emotional foundations. Never has the French language sounded so beautiful, so tragic, in Lully's music. The work was a resounding success, remaining in the repertoire for over a century.</p><p data-start="1696" data-end="1910"> This concert version brings together the cast of the recording and the stage production given at the Royal Opera of the Palace of Versailles in 2023, with a striking Stéphanie d'Oustrac in the title role.</p>