Lully: Phaeton
Sheet Music

SKU: NX.CVS015

Composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully. Classical. CD; DVD. Naxos #CVS015. Published by Naxos (NX.CVS015).

This is the story of Phaeton, valiant driver of the Sun's chariot, led here by Vincent Dumestre and Benjamin Lazar, armed with a rich partnership of two decades of Lullyist cooperation. Just like at the time, they will make the Versailles Opera resonate with this production of this flamboyant tragedie lyrique which was first presented in Perm in Russia in 2018. Phaeton is a tragedie en musique in a prologue and five acts by Jean-Baptiste Lully. Philippe Quinault wrote the French libretto after a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. It can be read as an allegorical depiction of the punishment awaiting those mortals who dare to raise themselves as high as the "sun" (i.e. the Sun King). Phaeton was the first lyric tragedy of Lully and Quinault to receive its world premiere at the Palace of Versailles, where it was given without stage machinery on or about 6 January 1683. The Paris Opera also performed it at the Theatre du Palais-Royal (beginning on 27 April), where it was very successful with the general public.