Alceste, or Triumph of Alcide

See also: Alceste (homonymy)

Alceste, or the Triumph of Alcide is a lyric tragedy of Jean-Baptiste Lully. Alceste or the triumph of Alcide was composed in 1674 on a booklet of Philippe Quinault.

Alcide (another name of Hercules) in love with Alceste, is promised with Admète, king de Thessalie. Admète is wounded during a combat. Parques agree to save death to him provided that somebody sacrifices himself to his place. Alceste is devoted. Alcide then promises in Admète to go to seek Alceste in Enfers provided that it is with him. On their return of the Hells, the good-byes between the two husbands are if moving that Alcide gives up Alceste and leaves it in Admète. The triumph of Alcide lies in its victory over Death.

At the request of the king, the repetitions of Alceste even took place with Versailles.

Madam de Sévigné written: the king declared in Baptiste that if it were in Paris at the time of the representations, it would hear it every evening .

If work were accommodated with enthusiasm at the court, it was not the same in Paris. The enemies of Lully, who were numerous since his obtaining the privilege of the Opera, had gathered in the room, at the time of the first Parisian representation. The cabal did not release any applause of the evening. The following day, criticisms were hardly eulogistic:

God! The beautiful opera! Nothing more pitiful!
Cerbère comes there japper from a lamentable bark!
Oh! What a music of dog!
Oh! What a music of the devil!

However, the following representations were a considerable success and the malicious gossip ended up recognizing the value of this music.

See too

Jean-Baptiste Lully

Category: Opera Category: Work of Lully

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