Proserpine
Jean-Baptsite Lully (1632-1687)
Tragédie en musique on a libretto by Philippe Quinault, premiered at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1680.
Recorded from 19 to 22 June 2025 at the RiffX Studio, La Seine Musicale, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
Listen to a sample
Prologue: Opening
DISTRIBUTION
Marie Lys · Véronique Gens · Olivier Gourdy · Jean-Sébastien Bou · Ambroisine Bré · Laurence Kilsby · Apolline Raï-Westphal · Nick Pritchard · Olivier Cesarini · David Witczak
Chœur de Chambre de Namur
Les Talens Lyriques
Christophe Rousset, conductor
Premiered in 1680, Proserpine marked the reunion of Lully and Quinault following the scandal surrounding Isis (1677). Created amid the splendour of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the work served as a mythological reflection of the marriage celebrations of the Dauphin. Here, Lully transformed his art: the orchestra became a driving force of the drama, while the vocal writing gained new expressive intensity. Under the baton of Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques bring this jewel back to life, where the fate of an abducted queen and the magnificence of a restored peace are united in timeless harmony.
