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Bacchus

Music by Jules Massenet · libretto by Catulle Mendès · premiered 1909 · at Palais Garnier

Bacchus is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Catulle Mendès after Greek mythology.

It was first performed at the Palais Garnier in Paris on 5 May 1909. The story is based on the mythology surrounding Bacchus and Ariadne (Ariane).

The Gods, among them the demi-god Bacchus, appear in human form in ancient India to attempt to persuade the people away from the pervading Buddhist influence.

Ariane has followed them, convinced that Bacchus is in fact Theseus, her unrequited love.

In the end, Ariane sacrifices herself to save humanity and in doing so, Bacchus becomes a God. Although not a proper sequel, as Ariane dies in both pieces, Bacchus is a companion to Massenet's earlier opera, Ariane.

Of Massenet's twenty-five operas, Bacchus is probably the least known, without a modern performance history or single modern recording. The ballet music has been recorded and issued appropriately by Naxos (company). The story of this opera is also related to that of Ariadne auf Naxos from Richard Strauss.

Text from the Wikipedia article "Bacchus (opera)", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

About the Composer

Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (French pronunciation: [ʒyl emil fʁedeʁik masnɛ]; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are Manon (1884) and Werther (1892). He also composed oratorios, ballets, orchestral works, incidental music, piano pieces, songs and other music. While still a schoolboy, Massenet was admitted to France's principal music college, the Paris Conservatoire. There he studied under Ambroise Thomas, whom he greatly admired. After winning the country's top musical prize, the Prix de Rome, in 1863, he composed prolifically in many genres, but quickly…

Text from the Wikipedia article "Jules Massenet", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Other Operas by Jules Massenet