Platea (opera)

Libretto

The plot was based on a story about the origin of the name of the city of Plataeus . According to Pausanias, Jupiter, wanting to play a trick on his jealous wife, arranged a comic wedding ceremony, where the role of his bride was "played" by a discharged wooden idol (Plataeus). Juno, tearing a veil from the “bride” in rage, discovered a forgery, and, laughing, forgave her unfaithful husband ^[1] .

Jacques Otro, by his own admission, composed the text, fulfilling the wish of the Royal Opera , which needed a comic play. In his libretto, the wooden statue was replaced by an elderly swamp nymph. The circle of actors was expanded - the librettist added confidants and confidants of the main characters of the comedy ^[1] . The main action in Otro was preceded by the Prologue “The Birth of a Comedy”, left by d'Orville almost unchanged. However, d'Orville (probably under the leadership of Rameau) significantly changed the main text, making Juno and Iris secondary actors and highlighting Platheus, the lord of frogs.

"Platea" - the first attempt by Rameau in the genre of comic opera, was originally called the bouffon ballet. Later, she was attributed to lyrical comedies, standing on a par with the Paladins - another, but less successful, opera-ballet of Rameau. "Platea" was written to celebrate the wedding of Dauphin Louis Ferdinand , son of Louis XV , and the Infanta Maria Theresa of Spain , which, according to contemporaries, was not beautiful. Despite the risky topic, the performance at Versailles was favorably received. The opera, replete with parodies of serious music of that time - first of all, “lyrical tragedy”, was liked by the king, who ordered the score and libretto to be published. A few months later, Ramo received the position of royal composer of chamber music with a significant annual pension.

Music

Comic opera was quite rare in the Baroque era in France, and musicologist expresses surprise that not one of Rameau’s contemporaries seems to have noted the innovations of “Platea” ^[2] . Rameau drew inspiration from earlier comic operas such as Cupids of Ragonda (whose “heroine” is also an aged coquette) by (1742) ^[3] , or comic opera-ballets, such as Joseph Boden de Boisortier (1743). Such characters as Momus and Naughty, one of the key figures of the Platea, whose musical characterization appears in the first section of the overture ^[4], were borrowed from Detush 's Carnival and Insanity.

“Platea” has become one of Rameau’s most highly acclaimed works for musical theater. After the Paris premiere in 1749 (only a narrow circle of spectators saw the only court performance of 1745, and the press was not allowed to go there at all) even those who were his opponents during the " Buffalo War " enthusiastically spoke about it (a dispute about the strengths and weaknesses of the French and Italian operas). F. M. Grimm in his “Letter about Omphale” called “Platea” “a brilliant creation in the genre that Mr. Rameau created in France”. The irreconcilable critic Ramo Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote of her as "a masterpiece by Mr. Ramot and the most excellent piece of music that could ever be heard in our theater." Holbach considered her a "harbinger of a coup in the opera tastes of the French", d'Alembert - a "masterpiece" ^[5] . In March 1754, after another resumption of the opera, immediately after the expulsion of the Italian touring guests from the French scene, which ended the “Buffon War”, Mercure de France wrote about the final quarrel between Plathea and Quiteron: “One of the best duets the French theater has in terms of naturalness of expression and the veracity of the dialogue ” ^[6] .

This can be explained by the fact that opponents of Rameau accepted “Platea” as a work paving the way for an easier form of opera - buffa ^[7] , as opposed to a dying lyrical tragedy , and liberation from routine genre shackles. The composer combined all the best from the works of his predecessors - , Kampra , Moore, but went much further than them. A deep understanding and immersion in the specifics of the “fair theater” combined with a high musical culture. Rameau significantly reformed the components of the French opera ( vocal ensemble , choir , recitative ), giving them more dynamics, liveliness and clarity; created an expressive orchestral part, using the gains of his contemporary symphony ^[8] . Building a comedic action, Ramo parodies the “serious” Italian and French operas, makes extensive use of light vaudeville vocal melodies, syncopy , onomatopoeia, hyperbolic vocalises ^[9] .

Little information has been preserved about the Versailles production of 1745. The lead role was played by ^{[K 1] by} Pierre Geliott , a well-known character actor. Rameau reworked the opera in collaboration with the librettist and staged it at the Royal Academy of Music (first performance - February 9, 1749). The new version was a success, although some viewers were struck by the "buffalo liberties" of "Platea". The opera withstood sixteen performances, and in the spring of the following year - six ^[5] . Later it was renewed in 1750 and again on February 21, 1754, the main role was played by the second haute-contre of La Tour Opera. According to , the role of Plataeus, played by Latour, was the highest haute-contre ever written by Rameau ^[10] .

The resumption of 1754 appeared on the Paris scene immediately after the expulsion of the buffoons. Until the end of the season, the play was played eight times. Subsequently, the prologue of the opera Birth of a Comedy was repeatedly performed separately in the Fragments combined concerts, and quite often together with Rousseau's Village Sorcerer , the first French comic opera. The last time during the life of the composer, "Platea" was staged in 1759 ^[5] .

The following production took place only in 1901 in Munich in German, in the free arrangement of Hans Schilling-Zimssen. The French version was played in Monte Carlo in 1917. But the real return of Plataea to the French theater scene occurred at the in 1956, where the young tenor played the title role. The Seneschal again performed this part in Opera Comic in 1977. The premiere of "Platea" in the UK took place in 1983, and in the United States in 1987.

The Platea was resumed at the Paris Opera in April 1999 (director - , conductor Mark Minkowski ). This version was later recorded on DVD with , and then Paul Agnew in the title role. The opera was also staged in 1997 at the Edinburgh Festival as a joint production of the New York City Opera and the Mark Morris Dance Group. The production was directed by the head of the dance troupe, . The performance was shown in London and the United States. As part of the Summer 2007 festival, Laurent Pelli's production for the Paris Opera was renewed by the with some former performers (conductor ). Among the most successful performances of the Plataea party - the main and most interesting and lively character in the "opera without a good hero" - experts note the work of Michel Seneschal, Gilles Ragon, Jean-Paul Fouchecourt and Paul Agnew.

Prologue (The Birth of a Comedy)

At a rural festival in honor of Bacchus, a choir of shepherds and maenads awakens the poet Thespis, sleeping after a night of drinking. In response to demands to amuse them with new jokes, Thespis begins to make fun of the windiness of the maenads themselves and the drunkenness and inconstancy of their lovers. The choir demands that Thespis fall asleep again. The muse of comedy Talia appears and calls on Thespis to continue: nothing should hide from the voice of truth. The god of festivities and feasts Mom joins the muse: ridicule should not bypass the gods, if they deserve it. Amur joins two celestials with simulated anger and demands his share in a new unprecedented spectacle - a comedy that should entertain, make laugh and correct ^[13] .

Act 1

Weather Kiferon rages over the mountain. Mercury descends from heaven and explains to the terrified king Kiferon that the cause of the unprecedented storm is the jealousy of Juno, and that Mercury himself was sent by Jupiter to the earth to cover up the traces of his father's betrayal. Kiferon is ready to offer him the right remedy: Jupiter, for averting eyes, will pretend that he loves the ugly swampy nymph Plathea, who is convinced of her rare beauty. When Juno sees Jupiter and Plathea together, she will understand that all this is nothing more than a joke, and her jealousy is in vain.

Mercury agrees to try the plan and returns to Olympus. Platea emerges from the swamp and flirts persistently with Kiferon, but the king is hiding under a plausible excuse. To the angry refusal of the nymph, Mercury flies from heaven and announces to her that the Thunderer himself dreams of her love ^[13] . Platea triumphs, the choir of frogs praises the swamp and its lord.

Act 2

Juno, misled by Mercury, sets off in search of Jupiter's new lover in Athens. Meanwhile, Platea is immersed in dreams of her future greatness. Jupiter arrives at the swamp, accompanied by the god of feasts Moma. First, he takes the image of a donkey (the orchestra imitates a donkey roar), then owls, and, finally, in its true guise, in peals of thunder and with bright flashes of light, it appears before Platea. The Thunderer admits half-dead from fear of a nymph in love. The choir mockingly extols the beauty of Plataeus. Madness appears, stolen Apollo's lyre, in order to sing the love of the sun god and Daphne in the aria decorated with a parody of color. The act ends with the dancing of the retinue of Mom and Madness ^[13] .

Act 3

Preparations for the wedding of Jupiter and Platea are in full swing. Mom appears, casually disguised as Amur, and brings to Plater gifts that are all one to her that she does not like. The wedding ceremony begins. Jupiter, as much as possible, drags out time, not wanting to pronounce the oath of allegiance to an ugly and grumpy nymph, who demands that she be made soon the master of heaven. Finally, Juno bursts in and enrages to tear the veil off the “bride”, sees Plathea, laughs and forgives Jupiter. The gods rise to heaven, humiliated Platea seeks the favor of Kiferon, but rejected them. Erupting curses to everyone and everyone, the nymph slips into the swamp under the mockery of the choir ^[13] .

• 1956: Orchestre de la Société du Conservatoire, conductor - Hans Rosbaud . Michel Seneschal (Plateia), Jeanine Michaud (Mischief), Nikolai Gedda (Thespis, Mercury), Jacques Janssen (Keateron), (audio CD EMI )
• 1988: La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy / J.K. Malguire (audio CD; Calliope)
• 1989: Orchestra Les Musiciens du Louvre , conductor - Mark Minkowski. Gilles Ragon (Platea), Bernard Deletre (Keateron, Momus), Jennifer Smith (Mischief, Waist), Vincent Le Texier (Jupiter, Satyr) and Guy de May (Thespis, Mercury) (audio CD: WEA International B000009IU9)
• 2003: Paris Opera , conductor - Mark Minkowski. Paul Agnew (Plateia), Mireille Delunchet (Mischief, Waist), Jan Buron (Thespis, Mercury), Vincent Le Texier (Jupiter), Laurent Nauri (Keateron, Satyr) (DVD Kultur D2919)

• Bryantseva V. Jean-Philippe Rameau and the French Musical Theater - Moscow: Music, 1981.
• Alexandre, Ivan A. Notes from the CD recording of Platée conducted by Marc Minkowski.
• Girdlestone, Cuthbert. Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work. - New York: Dover Publications, 1969. - ISBN 0-486-21416-8 .

• Platée (fr.) . Le magazine de l'opéra baroque. Date of treatment May 23, 2014.
• Libretto on Gallica [1]