The Opéra-Comique, in Paris, is a bit like William Christie’s house. The American chef has directed 13 productions there since the historic exhumation in 1987 ofAtyslyrical tragedy by Jean-Baptiste Lully. Almost 80 years old (he was born on December 19, 1944), the founder Flourishing Arts – reference preparation, from 1979, of the baroque repertoire – was offered with The Feasts of Hebeby Jean-Philippe Rameau, a gift that looks like an exploratory journey, all expenses paid by the Opéra-Comique that offers to discover it until Saturday, December 21.
Completely forgotten since its creation in 1739, when it was the composer’s greatest success at the time, this ballet-opera has everything to lose on today’s viewer. A gallant plot tied around the second knives of Greek-Latin mythology, lyrics so uninspired that the librettist wished to remain anonymous, and a hybrid genre in which music and dance, without forgetting the song, condemn the operas to a destiny of trouble. In the 18th centurye century, the audience could walk in and out without fear of missing a scene important to the understanding of the show, given the entertainment it did not care about royally.
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