Lully: Proserpine (complete opera)

 
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JEAN-BAPTISTE LULLY
Lully: Proserpine (complete opera)
Marie Lys (soprano), Veronique Gens (soprano), Olivier Gourdy (bass), Jean-Sebastien Bou (baritone), Les Talens Lyriques

[ Château de Versailles Spectacles / 3 CD Box Set ]

Release Date: Friday 22 May 2026

This item is only available to us via Special Order. We should be able to get it to you in 3 - 6 weeks from when you order it.

Composed in 1680, Proserpine marks the reunion of Lully and Quinault after the scandal surrounding Isis (1677). Set in the splendour of Saint-Germain, the work offers a mythological mirror to the Dauphin's wedding. In it, Lully revolutionises his art: the orchestra becomes the driving force of the drama while the voices gain in expressive intensity. Under the baton of Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques revive this gem in which the fate of a captive queen and the splendour of restored peace unite in immortal harmony.

Cast:
- Proserpine, la Victoire: Marie Lys (soprano)
- Cérès, l'Abondance: Véronique Gens (soprano)
- Pluton: Olivier Gourdy (bass)
- Crinise, la Discorde: Jean-Sébastien Bou (baritone)
- Aréthuse, la Paix: Ambroisine Bré (mezzo-soprano)
- Alphée: Laurence Kilsby (tenor)
- Cyané, la Félicité: Apolline Raï-Westphal (soprano)
- Mercure: Nick Pritchard (tenor)
- Ascalaphe: Olivier Cesarini (baritone)
- Jupiter, suivant de Proserpine: David Witczak (baritone)

Les Talens Lyriques (orchestra)

Conductor:
Christophe Rousset

"As with many of Lully's tragédies en musique, the story of Proserpine comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Performed before the court at St Germain-en-Laye on February 3, 1680, the opera marked the return to favour of the composer's regular librettist, Philippe Quinault. Louis XIV's mistress, Mme de Montespan, had taken exception to what she took to be the resemblance between her and the jealous goddess Juno in Isis (1677). For his next two operas, Psyché and Bellérophon, Lully was obliged to look to Thomas Corneille for his librettist. The published score of Proserpine was dedicated to the king; and at least one observer saw the neglected Ceres as a portrayal of La Montespan, whom Louis was finally ditching. Marie Lys, Véronique Gens, Olivier Gourdy and Laurence Kilsbyare lead an all-round splendid cast in bringing rich drama to Lully's opera - another superb recording by Christophe Rousset" Gramophone Editor's Choice