FULL Les Fêtes d’Hébé Paris 2024 Emmanuelle de Negri, Lea Desandre, Ana Vieira Leite, Cyril Auvity

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: Les Fêtes d'Hébé  
• Composer: Rameau Jean-Philippe  
• Libretto: Antoine Gautier de Montdorge    Libretto Text, Libretto Index
• Venue & Opera Company: Opera Comique, Paris, France  
• Recorded: December 2024
• Type: Staged Opera Live
• Singers: Emmanuelle de Negri, Lea Desandre, Ana Vieira Leite, Antonin Rondepierre, Cyril Auvity, Marc Mauillon, Lisandro Abadie, Renato Dolcini, Matthieu Walendzik
• Conductor: William Christie   
• Orchestra: Les Arts Florissants  
• Stage Director: Robert Carsen   
• Stage Designer: Gideon Davey  
• Costume Designer: Gideon Davey   
• Lighting Designer: Robert Carsen, Peter van Praet  

Information about the Recording

• Published by: medici.tv  
• TV Director: François Roussillon  
• Date Published: 2024  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: yessubs, ensubs, frsubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  Les fêtes d’Hébé, ou Les talens lyriques (The Festivities of Hebe, or The Lyric Talents) is an opéra-ballet in a prologue and three entrées (acts) by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. The libretto was written by Antoine Gautier de Montdorge (1707–1768). The work was first performed on 21 May 1739 by the Académie royale de musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris.

  Les fêtes d’Hébé was Rameau’s second opera-ballet; his first, Les Indes galantes, had appeared in 1735. It was first performed at the Paris Opéra on 21 May 1739. The famous dancer Marie Sallé appeared as Terpsichore in the third entrée. Montdorge was a friend of Rameau’s patron Alexandre Le Riche de La Poupelinière. His libretto came in for heavy criticism and the second entrée had to be revised with the aid of Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, who had written the words for Rameau’s first opera, Hippolyte et Aricie. In spite of the weak libretto, the work was an immediate success and became one of Rameau’s most popular operas, enjoying 80 performances in its first year. It was revived in 1747, 1756 and 1764 (with set designs supervised by François Boucher and the role of Iphise taken by Sophie Arnould). Thereafter, 18th century productions only gave partial versions of the work

  Synopsis
  Les fêtes d’Hébé takes the form of a typical opéra -ballet: a series of self-contained acts loosely based around a theme, in this the case the “lyric arts” of poetry, music and dance.

  Prologue
  Scene: a landscape with Mount Olympus in the background
  Hebe is harassed by the unwanted attentions of Momus. Cupid suggests she should escape with him to the banks of the River Seine to witness festivities celebrating the arts.

  First entrée: Poetry
  Scene: A grove
  On the island of Lesbos, the love of the two poets Sappho and Alcaeus is harmed by the jealous Thelemus, who persuades King Hymas to banish Alcaeus. When the king is out hunting, Sappho surprises him and stages an allegorical play for him, by which Hymas learns the truth. The king pardons Alcaeus and the lovers rejoice.

  Second entrée: Music
  Scene: The peristyle of a temple
  Iphise, daughter of Lycurgus, King of Sparta, is due to be married to Tyrtaeus, an accomplished musician as well as a warrior. An oracle announces that Iphise must marry the “conqueror of the Messenians” and Tyrtaeus leads his soldiers into battle against them. Iphise views the action in the form of a ballet provided by the oracle. Tyrtaeus is victorious and the act ends with general rejoicing.

  Third entrée: Dance
  Scene: a grove with a hamlet in the background. Later, an ornate garden
  The shepherdess Eglé, well known for her skill at dancing, is due to choose a husband. The god Mercury visits her village in disguise and falls in love with her, arousing the jealousy of the shepherd Eurilas. Eglé chooses Mercury and the two celebrate with the help of Terpsichore, the muse of dance, and her followers.

  Quoted from Wikipedia

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