Lully: Proserpine – Château de Versailles in concert in Versailles (Château de Versailles)June 15, 2025. All the practical information (prices, tickets, seating chart) for this concert can be found on this page. Reserve your tickets now to attend this concert in Versailles!
Ambroisine Bré Aréthuse, Peace
Anne-Catherine Gillet Céane, Félicité, a Nymph
Véronique Gens Cérès, Abundance
Jean-Sébastien Bou Crinise, Discord
Marie Lys Proserpina, Victory
Nick Pritchard Mercure
Laurence Kilsby Alpheus, a happy shadow, a judge of hell, a fury
Olivier Gourdy Pluto
Olivier Cesarini Ascalaphe
David Witczak Jupiter, follower of Proserpina, a judge of the underworld, a fury
Namur Chamber Choir
Lyrical Talents
Christophe Rousset Direction
Sunday June 15, 3 p.m.
Royal Opera
Duration: 3 hours of music
Created in 1680 at the Court of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and crowned with great success, Proserpina marks the return of the rich collaboration between Quinault and Lully, interrupted following the Isis scandal in 1677. If the story of Proserpina is inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the libretto of this lyrical tragedy in five acts focuses more in the figure of Ceres, the mother of Proserpina, devastated by the kidnapping of her daughter by Pluto, god of the underworld, who wishes to marry her. The context of the creation of the work is enlightening since it coincides with the announcement of the marriage between Marie-Anne of Bavaria and the Grand Dauphin, only legitimate son of Louis XIV: Proserpina who must marry a man whom she does not did not choose, in order to become the queen of Hell where she will finally find love, evokes the destiny of the future Dauphine of France. Furthermore, the character of Ceres, neglected by Jupiter, is reminiscent of the Marquise de Montespan neglected by Louis XIV for Madame de Ludres.
With Proserpine, Lully serves the evolution of the genre of lyric tragedy that he himself founded by exploring a wide variety of vocal and orchestral combinations. The orchestra is no longer content to play the instrumental entertainment framing the action, but now contributes to the dramatic progression by supporting and replicating the characters and choruses. The duo of Pluto and Ascalaphe, the first bass duo in this repertoire, also attests to the renewal of the genre. This work thus testifies to “decisive changes for the future of tragedy” according to the musicologist Jérôme de La Gorce.
For Christophe Rousset and the Talens Lyriques, the interpretation of Proserpine marks a new essential stage in their brilliant and acclaimed journey at the heart of the Lullist tragedies
Presented by CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES SPECTACLES (Lic. 3-1054036)
