Performance history Hippolyte et Aricie

1 performance history

1.1 reception: lullistes versus ramistes
1.2 revised versions
1.3 modern revivals

performance history
reception: lullistes versus ramistes

tragédie en musique had been invented genre lully , librettist quinault in 1670s , 1680s. works had held stage ever since , come regarded french national institution. when hippolyte et aricie made debut, many in audience delighted, praising rameau orpheus of our century . andré campra struck richness of invention: there enough music in opera make ten of them; man eclipse .

others, however, felt music bizarre , dissonant (hippolyte first opera described baroque, term of abuse). saw rameau s work assault on lullian opera , french musical tradition. sylvie bouissou puts it:

with single stroke rameau destroyed lully had spent years in constructing: proud, chauvinistic , complacent union of french around 1 , same cultural object, offspring of , quinault s genius. ramellian aesthetic played havoc confidence of french in patrimony, assaulted national opera hoped unchangeable.

structurally, hippolyte followed model established lully: french overture followed prologue , 5 acts, each own divertissement containing dances, solos , choruses. musically, however, totally different, orchestration. rameau had rethought apart recitative , petits airs (short arias inserted recitative), symphonies (dances , descriptive music) accompaniments vocal music (arias, ensembles, choruses). dominant feeling among hostile opera there excess of music: accompaniment, many symphonies , many notes. music difficult perform, learned , lacked true feeling , contained abundance of dissonances , exaggerated virtuosity.

audiences , music critics split 2 factions: traditionalist lullistes , rameau s supporters, ramistes or ramoneurs (a play on french word chimney-sweep ). cuthbert girdlestone described quarrel thus:

from performance of hippolyte, 2 violently extreme parties found in france, enraged against each other; older , newer music each of them kind of religion took arms. on side of lully elderly , unprofessional; few musicians mouret joined them, more out of jealousy of rising star devotion baptiste. theorists père andré, author of essai sur le beau , abbé pluche, of le spectacle de la nature fame, among conservative.

there continued heated controversy each new rameau opera in 1730s, reaching peak premiere of dardanus in 1739. thereafter, died down rameau s reputation became more established, there still hints of dispute late 1750s.

revised versions

rameau revised hippolyte revival in 1742. apart small changes in detail, substantially reduced role of phèdre, replacing act 3 aria cruelle mère des amours recitative , suppressing death scene in act 4. these changes drastic - musicologist sylvie bouissou describes them blasphemy - soprano mlle chevalier refused sing role of phèdre. revised version made debut on 11 september 1742. in spite of initial criticisms of poor singing great success, running 43 performances in 1742 , 1743.

rameau revised work again in 1757 run lasted 24 performances. time reputation foremost french composer firmly established confident enough restore of daring music original version, including trio des parques , phèdre s arias. in line practice had adopted since zoroastre in 1749 cut prologue. there revival @ paris opéra in 1767, after rameau s death, lasted 14 performances. after that, work disappeared stage until 20th century.

modern revivals

the first modern performance took place in geneva in march 1903 under direction of emile jacques-dalcroze, founder of eurhythmics.

hippolyte returned paris opéra after 150-year absence on may 13, 1908. production did not impress critics such henri quittard , louis laloy. attacked regarded poor staging, acting , choreography, harshest criticism reserved alterations score made vincent d indy. laloy condemned production focusing on recitative @ expense of arias. remarked:

how hard of understand art sole aim please, not teach or move, us. have utterly forgotten character of opera, suite of dances tied dialogues , airs, , not, in nineteenth century, dramatic plot decked out festivities , parades.

there no attempt use baroque instruments , harpsichord barely audible in huge auditorium of palais garnier. singers suffered poor intonation despite assistance of double string quartet during recitatives.

hippolyte et aricie appeared increasingly frequency on stage , in concert in second half of 20th century performances under jean-claude malgoire , charles mackerras, example. john eliot gardiner conducted @ aix-en-provence in 1983 , lyon in 1984 in staging pier luigi pizzi. pizzi s production taken william christie @ opéra comique in paris in 1985 , jean-claude malgoire @ lausanne , reggio emilia in 1987. marc minkowski conducted concert performances @ several locations, including versailles, in 1994. william christie again conducted opera @ palais garnier, paris in 1996 in production jean-marie villegier subsequently toured nice, montpellier, caen, vienna , new york. in 21st century there have been performances conducted jane glover, ryan brown, emmanuelle haïm, raphaël pichon, györgy vashegyi , william christie (this time @ glyndebourne in 2013).