Dardanus
Music by Jean-Philippe Rameau · libretto by Charles-Antoine Leclerc de La Bruère · premiered 1739 · at Paris Opera
Dardanus is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau with a French-language libretto by Charles-Antoine Leclerc de La Bruère. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts. Dardanus premiered at the Paris Opéra on 19 November 1739 to mixed success, mainly because of the dramatic weakness of the libretto. This caused Rameau and La Bruère to rework the opera, completely rewriting the last three acts, for a revival in 1744. Only when Dardanus was again performed in 1760 did it win acclaim as one of Rameau's greatest works. The original story is loosely based on that of Dardanus, the son of Zeus and Electra, and ancestor of the Trojans. However, in the opera, Dardanus is at war with King Teucer, who has promised to marry his daughter Iphise to King Anténor. Dardanus and Iphise meet through the intervention of the magician Isménor and fall in love. Dardanus attacks a monster ravaging Teucer's kingdom, saving the life of Anténor who is attempting, unsuccessfully, to kill it. Teucer and Dardanus make peace, the latter marrying Iphise.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Dardanus (Rameau)", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Composer
Jean-Philippe Rameau is the composer of record for this opera.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Jean-Philippe Rameau", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Other Operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau
- Les Boréades (1683)
- Hippolyte et Aricie (1733)
- Les Indes galantes (1735)
- Castor et Pollux (1737)
- La princesse de Navarre (1745)
- Le temple de la Gloire (1745)
- Acante et Céphise (1751)
- La guirlande (1751)