Les fêtes de Polymnie

Roles#

Information taken from the site Rameau2014.fr.

Synopsis#

The prologue, Le temple de Mémoire (“The Temple of Memory”), describes the victory of Fontenoy in allegorical fashion. The first entrée is entitled La fable (Legend) and depicts the marriage of Hercules and Hebe, the goddess of youth. The second entrée, L’histoire (“History”), tells the story of the Hellenistic king of Syria Seleucus I Nicator, who gives up his fiancée Stratonice when he learns his son Antiochus I Soter is passionately in love with her (this tale was also the subject of a later 18th century French opera, Étienne Méhul’s Stratonice). The third and final entrée is called La féerie (“Fairy tale”) and is set in the Middle East. Through her love for him, Argélie redeems Zimès from the power of the evil fairy Alcina.

Recording#

*Les fêtes de Polymnie Véronique Gens, Emöke Baráth, Aurélia Legay, Mathias Vidal, Thomas Dolié, Purcell Choir, Orfeo Orchestra conducted by György Vashegyi (2 CDs, Glossa 2015)

Sources#

• Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.
• Girdlestone, Cuthbert, Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work (Dover paperback edition, 1969)
• Sadler, Graham, (Ed.), The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan, 1988