Opéra Royal - Lully : Proserpine

Sunday 15 June 2025

at 15:00

Location : Opéra Royal de Versailles

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Place d'Armes Château de Versailles
78000
Versailles
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Latitude : 48.805766
Longitude : 2.122483
Opéra Royal - Lully : Proserpine
Phone : +33 1 30 83 78 89
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"Opéra Royal - Lully : Proserpine"
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Location
Opéra Royal de Versailles
Place d'Armes Château de Versailles
78000
Versailles

Presentation

Premiered in 1680 at the Court of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and crowned with great success, Proserpine marks the return of the rich collaboration between Quinault and Lully, interrupted following the scandal of Isis in 1677.
Premiered in 1680 at the Court of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and crowned with great success, Proserpine marks the return of the rich collaboration between Quinault and Lully, interrupted following the scandal of Isis in 1677. While the story of Proserpine is inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, the libretto of this lyrical tragedy in five acts focuses more on the figure of Ceres, Proserpine's mother, who is devastated by the abduction of her daughter by Pluto, god of the underworld, who wishes to marry her. The context of the work's creation is illuminating, since it coincides with the announcement of the marriage between Marie-Anne of Bavaria and the Grand Dauphin, Louis XIV's only legitimate son: Proserpine, who must marry a man she has not chosen in order to become the queen of the underworld where she will finally find love, evokes the destiny of the future Dauphine of France. Moreover, the character of Ceres, abandoned by Jupiter, is reminiscent of the Marquise de Montespan, neglected by Louis XIV for Madame de Ludres.

With Proserpine, Lully furthered the development of the lyric tragedy genre that he himself had founded by exploring a wide variety of vocal and orchestral combinations. The orchestra was no longer content to play the instrumental diversions framing the action, but now contributed to the dramatic progression by supporting and replicating the characters and choruses. The duet of Pluton and Ascalaphe, the first bass duet in this repertoire, also testifies to the renewal of the genre. According to musicologist Jérôme de La Gorce, this work bears witness to ‘decisive changes for the future of tragedy’.



For Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques, the performance of Proserpine marks a new milestone in their brilliant and acclaimed journey to the heart of Lullist tragedies.



Alice de la Bouillerie

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