Thésée (Mondonville)

Thésée (Theseus) is an opera by the French composer Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, first performed at Fontainebleau on 7 November 1765. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in five acts. The opera is a new setting of a libretto by Philippe Quinault, originally set by Jean-Baptiste Lully in 1675.^[1] Mondonville's version was not a success and did not get to enjoy its public premiere at the Paris Opera until 13 January 1767, but audience rejected it calling for the restoration of Lully's original music. Mondonville's opera was withdrawn for good after its fourth performance.^[2]

Roles

Cast	Voice type	Premiere, 7 Novembre 1765[3] ( Conductor: – )
Eglé (Aegle), a princess raised under the tutelage of Egée, King of Athens	soprano	Sophie Arnould
Cleone, a confidante of Eglé	soprano	Mlle Avenaux
The high priestess of Minerva	soprano	Marie-Jeanne Larrivée (née Lemière)
Egée (Aegeus), King of Athens	basse-taille (bass-baritone)	Henri Larrivée
Arcas, a confidant of Egée	haute-contre	M Muguet
Médée (Medea), a magician princess	soprano	Mlle Dubois (or Du Bois)
Dorine, a confidante of Médée	soprano	Mlle Dubrieul
Thésée (Theseus), Egée's unknown son	haute-contre	Joseph Legros
A woman from Athens	soprano	Marie-Jeanne Larrivée (née Lemière)
A shepherd from the enchanted island	haute-contre	M Muguet
A shepherdess from the enchanted island	soprano	Marie-Jeanne Larrivée (née Lemière)
Minerve	soprano	Mlle Avenaux

References

Notes

1. Holden.
2. Pitou.
3. Cast according to original 1765 libretto.

Sources

• Original 1765 libretto on Google Books
• Spire Pitou, The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715-1815, Westport/London, Greenwood Press, 1985, page 521. ISBN 0-313-24394-8
• The Viking Opera Guide, ed. Amanda Holden (Viking, 1993), page 671.