Phèdre (opera)

Phèdre (Phaedra) is an opera by the French composer Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, first performed at Fontainebleau on 26 October 1786. It takes the form of a tragédie mise en musique in three acts. The libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman is based on the Greek myth of the obsessive love of Phaedra for her stepson Hippolytus.^[1]

Roles

Cast	Voice type	Premiere cast
Phèdre (Phaedra)	soprano	Antoinette Saint-Huberty
Thésée (Theseus)	basse-taille (bass-baritone)	Auguste-Athanase (Augustin) Chéron
Hippolite (Hippolytus)	haute-contre	Jean-Joseph Rousseau [it]^[2]
Œnone	soprano	Adelaïde Gavaudan, cadette (the Younger)
La grande prêtresse de Vénus (the high priestess of Venus)	soprano	Anne-Marie Jeanne Gavaudan, l'ainée (the Elder)
Un grand de l'état (an important statesman)	baritone	Louis-Claude-Armand Chardin ("Chardiny")
Un chasseur (a huntsman)	bass-baritone	Moreau

Recordings

Concert de la Loge Olympique, Julien Chauvin^[3]
Orfeo Orchestra Purcell Choir, György Vashegyi. Palazzeto Bru Zane (2020)

References

^ Benoït Dratwicki, "Foreigners at the Académie Royale de Musique" in Antonio Sacchini, Renaud, Madrid, Ediciones Singulares, 2013 (book accompanying the complete recording conducted by Christophe Rousset). ISBN 978-84-939-6865-6
^ Sources traditionally report only the initial letter (J.) of this singer's name; full details, however, can be found in "Organico dei fratelli a talento della Loggia parigina di Saint-Jean d'Écosse du Contrat Social (1773-89)" (list of the members of this Masonic lodge), reported as an Appendix in Zeffiro Ciuffoletti and Sergio Moravia (eds), La Massoneria. La storia, gli uomini, le idee, Milan, Mondadori, 2004, ISBN 978-8804536468 (in Italian).
^ [1] Production Bru Zane France Co-production Théâtre de Caen / Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles / Opéra de Reims In collaboration with C.I.C.T. – Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord First performed on Thursday, 27 April 2017 at the Théâtre de Caen Encore performance Tuesday October 10, 2017 at the Opéra de Reims The opera will be recorded by France Musique

Sources

(in French) Original libretto on BNF Gallica

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[1] Benoït Dratwicki, "Foreigners at the Académie Royale de Musique" in Antonio Sacchini, Renaud, Madrid, Ediciones Singulares, 2013 (book accompanying the complete recording conducted by Christophe Rousset). ISBN 978-84-939-6865-6

[2] Sources traditionally report only the initial letter (J.) of this singer's name; full details, however, can be found in "Organico dei fratelli a talento della Loggia parigina di Saint-Jean d'Écosse du Contrat Social (1773-89)" (list of the members of this Masonic lodge), reported as an Appendix in Zeffiro Ciuffoletti and Sergio Moravia (eds), La Massoneria. La storia, gli uomini, le idee, Milan, Mondadori, 2004, ISBN 978-8804536468 (in Italian).

[3] [1] Production Bru Zane France Co-production Théâtre de Caen / Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles / Opéra de Reims In collaboration with C.I.C.T. – Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord First performed on Thursday, 27 April 2017 at the Théâtre de Caen Encore performance Tuesday October 10, 2017 at the Opéra de Reims The opera will be recorded by France Musique

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