Achante et Céphise
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Rameau’s inspired handling of drama and colour inform this neglected heroic pastorale revived by Les Ambassadeurs
Sabine Devieilhe Céphise
Cyrille Dubois Achante
Thomas Dolié Oroès
Chantal Santon-Jeffery Zirphile
Eugénie Lefebvre La Grande Prêtresse
Artavazd Sargsyan Un coryphée / Un berger
David Witczak Un coryphée / Un chasseur
Marine Lafdal-Franc Une fée / Une bergère
Anne-Sophie Petit Délie / La deuxième prêtresse
Mélodie Ruvio La troisième prêtresse
Alexis Kossenko direction
Les Ambassadeurs
Les Chantres du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles
Sung in French with French and English subtitles
Commissioned from Rameau to celebrate the birth of the Duke of Burgundy, Achante et Céphise was composed around a libretto by encyclopaedist and dramatist Jean-François de Marmontel and is one of his most heroic works. It would be short-sighted to downplay the significance of a work written for a specific occasion when it contains as many gems as this one. From the sumptuous overture (describing a firework display with a realism that impressed commentators of the era) to terrifying depictions of the evil genie Oroès, punctuated with hypnotic musettes and lively interludes with huntsmen, Rameau demonstrates his mastery of drama and colour throughout this pastorale, which, for the first time in French music, gives pride of place to clarinets and horns. Les Ambassadeurs have produced a critically acclaimed recording and are now bringing the concert version to our stage.
Coproduction Théâtre des Champs-Elysées / Centre de musique baroque de Versailles / Les Ambassadeurs
En partenariat avec le CRR de Paris