Phaëton (opera)

Opera dates
Title:	Phaëton
	Title page of the libretto, Paris 1683
Shape:	“ Tragédie en musique ” in a prologue and five acts
Original language:	French
Music:	Jean-Baptiste Lully
Libretto :	Philippe Quinault
Literary source:	Metamorphoses of Ovid
Premiere:	January 6, 1683
Place of premiere:	Versailles
Playing time:	approx. 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action:	Egypt, mythical time
people
	prolog Astrée ( Astraea ), goddess, daughter of Jupiter and Themis ( soprano ); Saturne ( Saturn ), God who ruled during the Golden Age ( Bass ); Astrée's companions, Saturne's entourage ( choir , ballet); action Libye, daughter of Merops (soprano); Théone, daughter of Protées (soprano); Phaëton ( Phaethon ), son of Le Soleil and Clymènes ( Haute-Contre ); Clymène ( Klymene ), daughter of Oceanus and Thetys (soprano); Protée ( Proteus ), god of the sea, leader of the entourage Neptune (bass); Triton , god of the sea, brother of Clymène (Haute-Contre); Epaphus ( Epaphos ), son of Jupiter and Isis (Bass); Merops , King of Egypt, married to Clymène in second marriage after the death of his first wife, whose daughter Libye was born (Bass); an ethiopian king, merops tribute (bass); an Indian king, also paying tribute to Merops (silent role); one hour of the day (soprano); L'Automne, autumn; Le Soleil ( Helios ), the sun god (Haute-Contre); an egyptian shepherdess (soprano); the goddess of the earth (Haute-Contre); Jupiter (bass); Egyptian, Indian and Ethiopian people, priestesses of Isis, the hours of the day, the seasons, Egyptian shepherds and shepherdesses (chorus); Retinue of Phaeton, Retinue of the Seasons (extras); Sea gods in the entourage of Protées and Tritons, Furies, Egyptians, Egyptians, Le Printemps / Spring and its entourage, Egyptian shepherds and shepherdesses (ballet);

Phaëton or Phaéton is an opera (original name: " Tragédie en musique ", LWV 61) in a prologue and five acts by Jean-Baptiste Lully on a libretto by Philippe Quinault . It processes a story from the Metamorphoses of the Roman poet Ovid . The first performance took place on January 6, 1683 in Versailles .

content

prolog

Gardens of Astrées Palace

The gods Astrée and Saturne hope for a new golden age on earth, as a new hero (King Louis XIV. ) Has appeared. They announce a celebration in his honor.

Abstract of the tragedy

First act. Libye, the daughter of the Egyptian king Merops , and Théone, the daughter of the sea god Protée , are presented. Both are unhappy: Libye loves Epaphus , and Théone loves Phaëton , the son of Clymène , the wife of Merops. Théone feels neglected by Phaëton, Libye is afraid of her father's decision: Merops wants to appoint his successor, who is to become her husband, on the same day. It quickly becomes clear that Phaëton wants to be Merops' successor and will be. Clymène convinces her brother, the sea god Triton , to force his subordinate Protée to speak out about the fate of Phaeton. He predicts a terrible end for Phaëton.

Act two. Clymène tells Phaëton of Protée's prophecy, but you don't believe it. He is confident and full of ambition. Théone and Libye are unhappy, one over the loss of Phaëton, the other over the forced marriage to Phaëton.

Act Three . Phaëton and his entourage go to the Temple of Isis to make offerings. Epaphus cannot accept Merops' decision and doubts that Phaëton is the son of Le Soleil , the sun god. He also calls his mother Isis to stop the outrage: The gates of the temple close, only to open again as the gate of the underworld and to frighten the assembly. Phaëton stands firm and forces his mother to testify to Le Soleil's paternity. Then Phaëton is carried by winds to the palace of the sun god.

Fourth act. Praise to Le Soleil through the seasons and the hours of the day, followed by a conversation between Le Soleil and Phaëton, during which Le Soleil stands by his son. Phaëton is granted a wish to prove his descent: he wants to drive the sun chariot. His father tries to dissuade him at the sight of the danger, but fails and finally has to grant his son the promise.

Fifth act. Phaëton on the sun chariot. First enthusiasm among the inhabitants of the earth, then after it becomes clear that Phaëton is losing control of the sun chariot, horror and chaos. Jupiter saves the earth by smashing Phaëton and the solar chariot with lightning.

first act

A garden in the foreground, a grotto in the middle and the sea in the distance

Scene 1. Libye, the daughter of the Egyptian king Merops, longs for the “quiet happiness” she once felt (Libye: “Heureuse une âme indifférente”).

Scene 2. Her friend Théone, daughter of the clairvoyant sea god Protée , arrives and they both complain of their love afflictions. Libye loves Epaphus , but as a princess she has no right to a free choice. Her father still wants to appoint his successor as ruler, who will also receive her hand. Théone suffers from the increasing indifference of her lover Phaëton.

Scene 3. Phaëton assures Théone that he still loves her. Théone does not believe him, for her father has repeatedly foretold her now felt grief.

Scene 4. Clymène tells her son Phaëton that he has prospects of being appointed heir to the throne by the king. She advises him to part with Théone so that his love doesn't stand in his way. The ambitious Phaëton agrees, for throne and fame mean more to him than love. Clymène decides to question Protée about her son's fate.

Scene 5. Protée rises from the sea accompanied by the flock of Neptune and sea gods. In his singing he warns of the agony of the unhappy lovers, which he compares to a shipwreck in a storm (Protée: “Prenez soin sur ces bords”). He falls asleep in a grotto while his flock disperses on the bank.

Scene 6. When Clymène sees Protée sleeping, she calls in her brother, the sea god Triton, to help her.

Scene 7. Triton and other sea gods emerge from the sea dancing and playing instruments. You wake Protée so that he can take part in their amusements. Triton asks him to grant Clymène's request for a divination. Protée refuses on the grounds that he must take care of his flock and keep silent about fate. To escape the others, he turns into a lion, a tree, a sea monster, a fountain and a flame one by one. Triton's followers are constantly following him.

Scene 8. After Protée has returned to his normal form, Triton forces him to make the prophecy. He predicts a terrible end for Phaëton after a fall (Protée: “Le sort de Phaëton”). Even his divine Father will not be able to save him. Triton and Clymène are horrified.

Second act

A hall decorated for a grand ceremony in the palace of the King of Egypt

Scene 1. Clymène warns her son Phaëton of his impending doom and asks him not to marry Libye. Phaëton tries to reassure her by saying that Protée's prophecy was shaped by his personal interest in his daughter Théone. He also preferred a glamorous death to a glorious life. Clymène hopes that Théone can change his mind. When she sees this coming, she withdraws to leave them alone. However, Phaëton follows her.

Scene 2. Théone complains about Phaëton's cold feeling (Théone: “Il me fuit l'inconstant”).

Scene 3. Libye waits anxiously for her father's decision. The two women together lament their lost freedom and the cruelty of Cupid.

Scene 4. Sadly, Epaphus brings his lover Libye the news that her father has chosen Phaëton as her husband. Both deeply regret that they cannot get together (Libye / Epaphus: “Que mon sort serait doux”).

Scene 5. Before the assembled people and the tributary kings of Ethiopia and India, Merops appoints Phaëton, the “son of the sun”, as his successor and son-in-law. Everyone shows their joy in dances and cheers for Phaëton.

Third act

In front of the Temple of Isis

Scene 1. Phaëton explains to the sad Théone that it is his fate to rule over the earth (Théone: "Ah Phaëton, est-il possible"). His connection with the princess has nothing to do with love. Although he declares himself unworthy of her tears, Théone curses him in a touch of anger and tells the gods to overthrow him. She immediately regrets it again.

Scene 2. Phaëton regrets Théone's suffering, but can no longer listen to love. He now wants to satisfy the Egyptian custom and pay homage to the goddess Isis .

Scene 3. Epaphus feels mocked by Phaëton because Isis is his own mother. He warns him of his father Jupiter's vengeance. Phaëton feels, however, on the winning side and refers to the power of his own father Le Soleil, the sun. After a brief argument over which of the two fathers has the greater power, Epaphus expresses doubts that his rival is really Le Soleil's son. This is just an unproven claim made by his mother.

Scene 4. The solemn Isis ceremony is to take place in the presence of the tributary kings and members of the various peoples. A few selected young Egyptians approach the temple with their offerings, dancing. Merops, Clymène, the people and the priestesses alternately invoke the goddess. Suddenly the angry Epaphus appears and points out to his mother that the gifts come from the hand of the person who offended him. The temple gates then close as if by magic. Phaëton tells his people to forcibly reopen them. Epaphus, on the other hand, calls on Isis for revenge.

Scene 5. The gates open again, but instead of the splendid interior of the temple, behind it is a terrifying gorge from which flames blaze. Ghosts and furies invade, destroy the offerings and drive the gathering away. Phaëton, however, remains steadfast, and his mother Clymène does not want to leave him.

Scene 6. Phaëton tells his mother about Epaphus' claim that Le Soleil is not really his father and asks her to provide evidence of his parentage. She swears to him in the name of the sun that she spoke the truth (Clymène: “Vous êtes son fils, je le jure”). Winds emerge from a cloud and lead Phaëton to the palace of the sun.

Fourth act

Palace of Le Soleil

Scene 1. The hours of the day, the seasons and their entourage praise the light-giving God. Le Soleil urges them to double their cheers at the reception of his son Phaëton.

Scene 2. After more hymns of praise (chorus: “Dans ce palais”) Le Soleil welcomes his son and affirms with loving words that he is his father. To confirm this, he swears by the Styx to grant him any wish (Le Soleil: “C'est toi que j'en atteste, Fleuve noir”). Phaëton wants to illuminate the earth on the sun chariot. Although Le Soleil warns him that his human strength is insufficient and that he is approaching certain death, Phaëton insists on his wish. Le Soleil calls on Fortuna to save his life.

Fifth act

Lovely landscape, dawn

Scene 1. At dawn, Phaëton appears on the sun chariot on the horizon. Clymène proudly shows it to one of the tributary kings and calls the people to proclaim the glory of their son.

Scene 2. Epaphus asks his father Jupiter to prevent his rival from triumphing (Epaphus: “Dieu qui vous déclarez mon père”).

Scene 3. Libye is still mourning her misfortune of having to marry an unloved man (Libye: "O rigoureux martyre") when Epaphus steps up to her and gives her hope again (Epaphus / Libye: "Hélas, une chaîne si belle") .

Scene 4. Merops and Clymène urge the people to celebrate the new sun. Everyone is dancing and singing happily. An Egyptian shepherdess praises the beautiful day, the many flowers and the joys of love.

Scene 5. Théone interrupts the dances with a warning of Phaëton's impending fall, which her father foretold. Suddenly a terrifying flame spreads in the air. All seek refuge from the heat in vain (chorus: “Dieu, quel feu”).

Scene 6. The goddess of the earth begs Jupiter for protection from the fire. Without his intervention, the rivers will soon dry up and the cities and forests will burn.

Scene 7. Under the gaze of the assembled people, Phaëton loses control of the sun chariot. Everyone calls on Jupiter to save them and the earth (chorus: “O Dieu qui lancez le tonnerre”).

Scene 8. Jupiter saves the world by throwing lightning on the sun chariot and destroying the haughty Phaëton.

layout

Instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

music

Since the title hero of the opera is not a lover, but an ambitious climber, he has no love arias. It is introduced through a simple dialogue and has only a few short arias later on. Instead, Libye and Théone and Protée in his prophecy show emotions. In the literature, the following pieces of music are highlighted:

I: 1. Libye: “Heureuse une âme indifférente”: two-part lament in C minor with orchestral accompaniment.
I: 5. Protée: “Prenez soin sur ces bords”: sleeping scene in 3/2 time.
I: 7. Pictorial orchestral pieces for the various metamorphoses Protée.
I: 8. Protée: "Le sort de Phaëton": oracle with extreme "Fall" melody. The part of the bassist is only independent of the figured bass in this bass aria.
II: 2. Théone: “Il me fuit l'inconstant”: “masterful piece of Lully's art of composition” in two parts. In the first part a free declamation over a five-bar bass ostinato , followed by a seven -bar structure with recapitulation.
II: 4. Libye / Epaphus: “Que mon sort serait doux”: “Emotional duet”.
III: 1. Théone: "Ah Phaëton, est-il possible": Refrain line with a special Dakapo form.
III: 6. Clymène: “Vous êtes son fils, je le jure”: already mentioned by Jean-Laurent Le Cerf de La Viéville as an “admirable place”.
IV: 2. Choir: "Dans ce palais": Change of choir and solo singer, with a memorable, simple and happy melody.
IV: 2. Le Soleil: “C'est toi que j'en atteste, Fleuve noir”: another “admirable place” at Le Cerf de La Viéville.
V: 2. Epaphus: “Dieu qui vous déclarez mon père”: another “admirable place” at Le Cerf de La Viéville.
V: 3. Libye: “O rigoureux martyre”: Dacapo aria in French style.
V: 3. Epaphus / Libye: "Hélas, une chaîne si belle": another "emotional duet". According to Le Cerf de La Viéville, the audience preferred this to the duet in act two, while Lully preferred the first.

The opera contains several divertissements : the performances of Protées and Tritons (I: 5 and 7), the public presentation of the royal successor (II: 5), the performance of the Furies in the Temple of Isis (III: 5), the dances of joy in the Sun Palace ( IV) and the celebration for Phaëton's flight in the sun chariot (V: 4). The latter ends abruptly with Théone's appearance. The end of the opera is musically shaped by the choir and orchestra.

Work history

The libretto for Lully's Tragédie en musique Phaëton is by Philippe Quinault . It is based on motifs from the first and second books of Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid . The first preparatory work was done by Jean Racine , who after the success of Lully's opera Thésée in 1675 also wanted to write a text for Lully. With the help of Nicolas Boileau , he created his fragment La chute de Phaéton, which Lully and Quinault used for their new work in 1682. They were therefore able to complete the work in less than nine months. According to Jean-Laurent Le Cerf de La Viéville , Lully requested twenty changes to scenes that had already been accepted by the Académie. He placed particular emphasis on characterizing the protagonist as "ambitious but not raw". Le Cerf de La Viéville believed that Lully owed "what little gallantry this figure has".

The first performance took place on January 6, 1683 in Versailles . Since there were no stage machines on the makeshift stage there, the costumes designed by the royal court painter Jean Bérain made a particular contribution to the success of the production. A number of colored etchings by them have survived. For the public premiere on April 27, 1683 in the Palais Royal in Paris, however, Bérain created a highly sumptuous interior. After the death of Queen Maria Teresa on July 30, the series of performances was interrupted for a period of thirty days of mourning and then ran until January 12 or 13, 1684.

Jean Bérain: Sketches for the first performance in 1683
Dancing sea god
Le Soleil
Construction sketch of the sun chariot

The success was outstanding. Le Cerf de La Viéville called Phaëton "the opera of the people" ("L'Opera du Peuple") and compared it with Lully's other operas Armide ("the opera of women"), Atys ("the king's opera") and Isis ("the opera of the musicians"). According to Parfaict, this nickname goes back to the great success with the public on April 27th. Resumptions at court and in the Académie royale took place in 1683, 1688, 1692, 1702, 1710, 1721, 1722, 1730, 1731, 1742/43. The prologue was played before Acis et Galatée in 1749 and in 1753 to celebrate the birth of the duc d'Aquitaine. The Phaëton was also played again and again in the context of the “appartements”, concert operas for the royal family . There is evidence of performances in the years 1707 (Concert de Versailles), 1725, 1729 ("Concert de réjouissance" in the Tuileries), 1730 (for the birth of the Dauphin in a gallery of the Hôtel de Crouillon), 1735, 1737, 1739, 1740, 1741 and 1750 (Compiègne).

There were foreign productions in Marseille (1686, 1687, 1701, 1714, 1720), Amsterdam (1686, 1687?), Lyon (1688 for the inauguration of the opera house, 1689, 1698, 1699, 1701, 1710), Rouen (1689), Toulouse (1690?), Brussels (1696), Ghent (1708), The Hague (1710, 1718?), Lille (1718) and Dijon (1732). In addition, a total of 39 pieces of music from the opera were provided with new texts in the form of parodies by the middle of the 18th century and thus achieved greater popularity in chansons or sacred songs. Many parodies of the opera were also shown in the Théâtre-Italy in Paris and at the fair.

Only for the last Paris resumption in 1742 did Jean-Féry Rebel and François Francœur shorten the work and in return added a Bourrée (III: 4) and an extended Chaconne (IV: 1). Until then, the Phaëton had been played in its almost unchanged original shape.

A piano reduction by Théodore de Lajarte was probably published in 1883 as part of the Chefs-d'œuvre classiques de l'opéra français series .

Paul Hindemith integrated parts of the music, including the air from the end of the third act, into the beginning of the third act of the second version of his opera Cardillac , written in 1952 .

More recently, Phaëton was shown in Kassel in 1985 in a production by Herbert Wernicke .

The Opéra National de Lyon presented the work in 1992/93 under the musical direction of Marc Minkowski . A studio recording on CD was released in connection with this production.

In 2018 there was a co-production of the Perm opera with the Royal Opera of the Palace of Versailles in a production by Benjamin Lazar with a set by Mathieu Lorry-Dupuy and costumes by Alain Blanchot. The ensemble Le Poème Harmonique and the MusicAeterna choir played under the direction of Vincent Dumestre . Mathias Vidal sang the title role . It was the first ever performance of a Lully opera in Russia. A video recording was made available on the French television website.

Recordings

1993 - Marc Minkowski (conductor), Les Musiciens du Louvre -Grenoble, Ensemble Vocal Sagittarius.
Virginie Pochon (Astrée and a day's lesson), Laurent Naouri (Saturne and Protée), Véronique Gens (Libye), Jennifer Smith (Théone), Howard Crook (Phaëton), Rachel Yakar (Clymène), Jean-Paul Fouchécourt (Triton, Le Soleil and goddess of the earth), Gerard Théruel (Epaphus), Philippe Huttenlocher (Merops), Jérôme Varnier (L'Automne and Jupiter), Florence Couderc (Egyptian shepherdess and an hour of the day).
Studio shot.
Erato 4509-91737-2 (2 CDs).
Oct. 25, 2012 - Christophe Rousset (conductor), Les Talens Lyriques , Chœurs de Chambre de Namur.
Isabelle Druet (Astrée and Théone), Benoît Arnould (Saturne and Protée), Gaëlle Arquez (Libye), Emiliano Gonzalez Toro (Phaëton), Ingrid Perruche (Clymène), Cyril Auvity (Triton, Le Soleil and goddess of the earth), Andrew Foster -Williams (Epaphus), Frédéric Caton (Merops, L'Automne and Jupiter), Virginie Thomas (one hour of the day and Egyptian shepherdess).
Live from the Salle Pleyel in Paris.
Aparté AP061 (harmonia mundi, 2 CDs).
German Record Critics' Prize 2014.
1./2. June 2018 - Vincent Dumestre (conductor), Benjamin Lazar (production), Mathieu Lorry-Dupuy (stage), costumes: Alain Blanchot, Le Poème Harmonique, MusicAeterna.
Elizaveta Sveshnikova (Astrée and a day's hour), Lisandro Abadie (Saturne, Epaphus and Jupiter), Éva Zaïcik (Libye), Victoire Bunel (Théone), Mathias Vidal (Phaëton), Léa Trommenschlager (Clymène), Viktor Shapovaläthi (Protée and ), Cyril Auvity (Triton, Le Soleil and Earth Goddess), Aleksandre Egorov (Merops), Alfiya Khamidullina (one day lesson).
Video, live from the Royal Opera of the Palace of Versailles .
Video stream on French television; Also released on DVD with double CD by the Chateau de Versailles label.

Web links

Commons : Phaëton (Lully) - collection of images, videos and audio files

Phaëton, LWV 61 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
Phaëton. Digitized version of 1683 on the University of North Texas Digital Collections website
Phaëton. Digitized version of 1709 on the University of North Texas Digital Collections website
Libretto (French) as full text (modern transcription) on quinault.info
Discography on Phaëton at Operadis

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Herbert Schneider : Phaëton. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 3: Works. Henze - Massine. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-492-02413-0 , p. 605.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Jérôme de La Gorce, Annegret Fauser (transl.): Introduction to the work. In: Supplement to CD Erato 4509-91737-2, pp. 18-21.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Lois Rosow: Phaëton. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
↑ ^a ^b Spire Pitou: The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers - Genesis and Glory, 1661-1715. Greenwood Press: Westport / London 1983 ISBN 0-313-21420-4 , pp. 289-290.
^ Jean-Laurent Le Cerf de La Viéville : Comparaison de la musique. 1704-06, p. 102 ( online (PDF) at musebaroque.fr ).
^ ^A ^b ^c Herbert Schneider : The reception of Lully's operas in the France of the ancien régime (= Mainz studies on musicology. Volume 16). Hans Schneider, Tutzing 1982, ISBN 3-7952-0335-X .
^ Phaéton: tragédie lyrique en 5 actes et un prologue. Harvard University library record, accessed November 7, 2019.
↑ Phaeton. In: Harenberg opera guide. 4th edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, 2003, ISBN 3-411-76107-5 , p. 483.
^ Graham Sadler: Fatal ambition: Lully's Phaëton rides again. In: Early Music, November 1994, pp. 692-694, doi: 10.1093 / earlyj / xxii.4.692 .
↑ Alexej Parin: Intoxicatingly refined. Review of the performance in Perm 2018. In: Opernwelt , May 2018, p. 61.
↑ ^a ^b “Phaeton” de Lully à l'Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles. Video stream from France 2 (not available in Germany).
↑ Jean-Baptiste Lully. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005, p. 8880.
↑ The 12 Annual Awards 2014 from the German Record Critics ' Award , accessed on November 8, 2019.

[piper-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Herbert Schneider : Phaëton. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 3: Works. Henze - Massine. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-492-02413-0 , p. 605.

[booklet-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Jérôme de La Gorce, Annegret Fauser (transl.): Introduction to the work. In: Supplement to CD Erato 4509-91737-2, pp. 18-21.

[grove-3] Lois Rosow: Phaëton. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).

[pitou-4] Spire Pitou: The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers - Genesis and Glory, 1661-1715. Greenwood Press: Westport / London 1983 ISBN 0-313-21420-4 , pp. 289-290.

[5] Jean-Laurent Le Cerf de La Viéville : Comparaison de la musique. 1704-06, p. 102 ( online (PDF) at musebaroque.fr ).

[schneider-6] A ^b ^c Herbert Schneider : The reception of Lully's operas in the France of the ancien régime (= Mainz studies on musicology. Volume 16). Hans Schneider, Tutzing 1982, ISBN 3-7952-0335-X .

[7] Phaéton: tragédie lyrique en 5 actes et un prologue. Harvard University library record, accessed November 7, 2019.

[harenberg-8] Phaeton. In: Harenberg opera guide. 4th edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, 2003, ISBN 3-411-76107-5 , p. 483.

[9] Graham Sadler: Fatal ambition: Lully's Phaëton rides again. In: Early Music, November 1994, pp. 692-694, doi: 10.1093 / earlyj / xxii.4.692 .

[opernwelt-10] Alexej Parin: Intoxicatingly refined. Review of the performance in Perm 2018. In: Opernwelt , May 2018, p. 61.

[francetv-11] “Phaeton” de Lully à l'Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles. Video stream from France 2 (not available in Germany).

[ommer-12] Jean-Baptiste Lully. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005, p. 8880.

[13] The 12 Annual Awards 2014 from the German Record Critics ' Award , accessed on November 8, 2019.

Opera dates
Title:	Phaëton
Title page of the libretto, Paris 1683
Shape:	“ Tragédie en musique ” in a prologue and five acts
Original language:	French
Music:	Jean-Baptiste Lully
Libretto :	Philippe Quinault
Literary source:	Metamorphoses of Ovid
Premiere:	January 6, 1683
Place of premiere:	Versailles
Playing time:	approx. 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action:	Egypt, mythical time
people
prolog Astrée ( Astraea ), goddess, daughter of Jupiter and Themis ( soprano ) Saturne ( Saturn ), God who ruled during the Golden Age ( Bass ) Astrée's companions, Saturne's entourage ( choir , ballet) action Libye, daughter of Merops (soprano) Théone, daughter of Protées (soprano) Phaëton ( Phaethon ), son of Le Soleil and Clymènes ( Haute-Contre ) Clymène ( Klymene ), daughter of Oceanus and Thetys (soprano) Protée ( Proteus ), god of the sea, leader of the entourage Neptune (bass) Triton , god of the sea, brother of Clymène (Haute-Contre) Epaphus ( Epaphos ), son of Jupiter and Isis (Bass) Merops , King of Egypt, married to Clymène in second marriage after the death of his first wife, whose daughter Libye was born (Bass) an ethiopian king, merops tribute (bass) an Indian king, also paying tribute to Merops (silent role) one hour of the day (soprano) L'Automne, autumn Le Soleil ( Helios ), the sun god (Haute-Contre) an egyptian shepherdess (soprano) the goddess of the earth (Haute-Contre) Jupiter (bass) Egyptian, Indian and Ethiopian people, priestesses of Isis, the hours of the day, the seasons, Egyptian shepherds and shepherdesses (chorus) Retinue of Phaeton, Retinue of the Seasons (extras) Sea gods in the entourage of Protées and Tritons, Furies, Egyptians, Egyptians, Le Printemps / Spring and its entourage, Egyptian shepherds and shepherdesses (ballet)