Proserpine (Lully)
Opera by Jean-Baptiste Lully
Proserpine (Proserpina) is an opera with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully and a libretto by Philippe Quinault first performed at Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 3 February 1680.
01Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 3 February 1680 |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue | ||
| La Paix (Peace) | soprano | Catherine Ferdinand |
| La Félicité (Felicitas) | soprano | Mlle Rebel |
| L'Abondance (Abundantia) | soprano | Mlle Puvigné (or Puvigny) |
| La Discorde (Discord) | tenor (en travesti) | Puvigné (or Puvigny) |
| La Victoire (Victoria) | soprano | Claude Ferdinand |
| Tragédie | ||
| Pluton (Pluto) | bass | Jean Gaye |
| Ascalaphe (Ascalaphus), son of Acheron, confidant of Pluton | bass | Antoine Morel |
| Proserpine | soprano | Claude Ferdinand |
| Cérès (Ceres) | soprano | Mlle Saint-Christophle |
| Jupiter | bass | Godonesche |
| Alphée (Alpheus) | haute-contre | Bernard Cledière |
| Aréthuse (Arethusa) | soprano | Catherine Ferdinand |
| Mercure (Mercury) | tenor | Langeais |
| Cyané, a Sicilian nymph, confidante of Cérès | soprano | Mlle Bony |
| Crinise, god of the Sicilian river Crinisus | basse-taille | Arnoul |
| Furies | 2 tenors and a basse-taille(?) | Claude Desvoyes, Puvigny (or Puvigné) and Le Maire |
| A blessed spirit | soprano | |
02Synopsis
Based on Ovid's Metamorphoses, the plot centers around the abduction of Proserpine by Pluton, with side plots concerning Cérès's love for Jupiter and the love intrigue between Alphée and Aréthuse.
03Recordings
- soloists, Le Concert Spirituel, conducted by Hervé Niquet (Glossa, 2 CDs, 2008)
- soloists, Les Talens Lyriques, cond. Christophe Rousset (Chateau de Versailles label, 2025)
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Proserpine (Lully)”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Lully - Proserpine - title page of the score, Paris 1680.png by Jean-Baptiste Lully / Philippe Quinault, Public domain
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