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Overview

Synopsis

So great and pure is the love between Hippolyte and Aricie that even the goddess Diane will do everything she can to protect it. This will not be an easy task, as Aricie is the last survivor of the Pallantids, mortal enemies of Hippolyte’s father, Thésée, the King of Athens. When a report arrives that Thesѐe has followed a loyal friend into the underworld, everything changes.

With his father dead, Hippolyte graciously offers to step aside and let his half-brother, son of Thésée and Phѐdre take up the throne instead. He thinks that by rejecting the glory and honor of becoming king will allow him to quietly marry his beloved Aricie. However, unknown to all but her closest friend, Phѐdre has been in love with her stepson since they first met. Now that her husband is dead, it is both legal and honorable for her to marry her stepson, and for him to take the throne. When she makes her intentions towards Hippolyte clear he cannot believe what he is hearing; how could he marry the woman he knows as his mother, and reject the woman he loves?

Thésée returns from the underworld, with the help of his father Neptune, and finds his wife and son fighting. Believing his son has tried to attack his wife, he banishes him from the kingdom. Thésée once again asks for Neptune’s help, and a great monster rises from the sea and kills Hippolytus. Phѐdre cannot believe that she has caused Hippolyte’s death, and poisons herself, after admitting everything to Thésée. Knowing now that Hippolyte was innocent, Thésée also considers ending his life, but Neptune stops him.

Neptune tells him that Hippolyte could not die; destiny, and Diane, had other plans for him. He will live, but Thésée will never again be allowed to see him. Instead, Hippolytus is finally brought to Aricie, and the two of them are married by Diane herself, to rule as king and queen of Diane’s domain.

Although it fell out of popularity after its first performances, Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie has gained popularity in more recent years, and is considered to be an almost perfect example of baroque opera.

Show Information

Book
Jean-Baptiste Racine
Music
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Libretto
Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin
Based on the Play/Book/Film
Jean Racine’s tragedy Phѐdre
Category
Opera
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
5
First Produced
1733
Genres
Romance, Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Historical/Biographical
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings
Time & Place
Ancient Times, Trojan Wars, Athens
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Small
Dancing
Some Dance
Licensor
None/royalty-free
Ideal For
College/University, Large Cast, Professional Opera, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Hippolyte

Lead

Male

Tenor

Aricie

Lead

Female

Soprano

Phѐdre

Lead

Female

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano

Thésée

Lead

Male

Bass, Bass-Baritone

Oenone

Supporting

Female

Soprano

Diane

Supporting

Female

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano

Arcas

Featured

Male

Tenor

Mercure

Featured

Male

Tenor

Tisiphone

Featured

Male

Tenor

L'Amour

Featured

Either Gender

Soprano, Countertenor

La Grande-Prêtresse

Featured

Female

Soprano

Les Parques

Featured

Either Gender

Countertenor, Tenor, Bass, Contralto

Un / Une suivant de l'Amour

Featured

Either Gender

Tenor, Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto

Une Prêtresse

Featured

Female

Soprano

Une Bergère

Featured

Female

Soprano

Une Matelote

Featured

Female

Soprano

Une Chasseresse

Featured

Female

Soprano

Pluton

Featured

Male

Bass

Jupiter

Featured

Male

Bass

Neptune

Featured

Male

Bass

Chorus

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Tenor, Bass, Contralto, Mezzo-Soprano

Songs

Prologue

  • Overture

Scene 1

  • Chorus of Nymphs ‘Accourez, habitants des bois!’ - Diane, Chorus
  • Aria and Chorus ‘Sur ces bords fortunes’ - Diane, Chorus

Scene 2

  • Aria ‘Pourquoi me bannir’ - L’Amour
  • Duet ‘Non, non, je ne souffrirai pas’ - Diane, L’Amour
  • Invocation ‘Arbitre souverain’ - Diane

Scene 3

  • The descent of Jupiter ‘Diane, j’etais pret a defendre’ - Jupiter, Diane, L’Amour

Scene 4

  • ‘Nymphes, aux lois du sort’ - Diane, L’Amour

Scene 5

  • Scene ‘Peuples, Diane enfin vous livre’ - L’Amour
  • Aria ‘Plaisirs, doux vanqueurs’ - L’Amour
  • 1st Gavotte
  • ‘A L’Amour rendez les armes’ - L’Amour, Chorus
  • 2nd Gavotte
  • 1st Minuet
  • 2nd Minuet
  • March

Act One

Scene 1

Scene 2

  • Aria ‘Peut-être votre indifférence’ - Aricie
  • Duet ‘Tu regnes sur nos coeurs’ - Aricie, Hippolyte

Scene 3

  • ‘Dans ce paisible’ - Chorus
  • Aria ‘Dieu d’amour, pour nos asiles’ - Une Prêtresse
  • Aria ‘Rendons un éternel hommage’ - Le Grande-Prêtresse, Chorus

Scene 4

  • ‘Princesse, ce grand jour’ - Phѐdre, Oenone, Aricie, Chorus
  • ‘Prince, vous souffrez qu’on outrage’ - Phѐdre, Hippolyte,
  • ‘Dieux vengeurs, lancez le tonnerre’ - Le Grande-Prêtresse, Chorus

Scene 5

  • ‘Ne vous alarmez’ - Diane, Aricie, Hippolyte

Scene 6

  • Aria ‘Quoi! La terre et le ciel’ - Phѐdre, Oenone

Scene 7

  • ‘O malheur!’ - Arcas, Oenone, Phѐdre

Scene 8

  • ‘Mes yeux commencent d’entrevoir’ - Oenone, Phѐdre

Act Two

Scene 1

  • ‘Laisse-moi repairer, implacable furie!’ - Thésée, Tisiphone
  • Duet ‘Contente-toi d’une victime!’ - Thésée, Tisiphone

Scene 2

  • ‘Inexorable roi de l’empire infernal!’ - Thésée, Pluton
  • Aria ‘Pour prix d’un projet téméraire’ - Thésée, Pluton

Scene 3

  • Aria ‘Qu'à servir mon courroux’ - Pluton, Chorus
  • 1st Air infernal
  • 2nd Air infernal
  • ‘Pluton commande’ - Chorus

Scene 4

  • ‘Dieux! Que d’infortunés gémissent’ - Thésée, Tisiphone
  • Trio ‘Du destin le vouloir suprême’ - Parques
  • ‘Puis-que pluton est inflexible’ - Thésée, Parques

Scene 5

  • ‘Neptune vous demande grâce’ - Mercure, Pluton
  • Aria ‘Jupiter tient les cieux’ - Mercure
  • Recitative ‘C’en est fait’ - Pluton
  • ‘Quelle soudaine horreur’ - Parques

Scene 6

  • ‘Je trouverais chez moi’ - Thésée, Mercure

Act Three

Scene 1

Scene 2

  • ‘Eh bien! Viendra-t-il en ces lieux’ - Phѐdre, Oenone

Scene 3

  • ‘Reine, sans l’ordre exprès’ - Hippolyte, Phѐdre
  • Duet ‘Ma fureur va tout’ - Phѐdre, Hippolyte

Scene 4

  • ‘Que vois-je? Quel affreux spectacle!’ - Thésée, Hippolyte, Phѐdre

Scene 5

  • ‘Sur qui doit tomber ma colère?’ - Thésée, Hippolyte

Scene 6

  • ‘Quoi! tout me fuit’ - Thésée, Oenone

Scene 7

  • ‘De mon heureux retour’ - Thésée

Scene 8

  • March of the Matelots
  • ‘Que ce rivage retentisse’ - Chorus
  • 1st Air of the Matelots
  • 2nd Air of the Matelots
  • 1st Rigaudon
  • 2nd Rigaudon
  • ‘L’amour comme Neptune’ - Une Matelote
  • ‘Pour l'auteur de mes jours’ - Thésée

Scene 9

  • ‘Quels biens!’ - Thésée

**Act Four **

Scene 1

  • ‘Ah! Faut-il en un jour’ - Hippolyte

Scene 2

  • ‘C’en est donc fait’ - Aricie, Hippolyte
  • Aria ‘Dieux! Pourquoi séparer deux coeurs’ - Aricie, Hippolyte

Scene 3

  • ‘Faisons partout voler nostraits!’ - Chorus
  • 1st Air
  • ‘Amants, quelle est votre faiblesse!’ - Une Chasseresse
  • 2nd Air and Rondeau - Une Chasseress, Un Chasseur, Chorus
  • 1st Minuet
  • 2nd Minuet and Rondeau
  • ‘Quel bruit! Quel vents!’ - Chorus , Hippolyte, Aricie

Scene 4

  • ‘Quelle plainte en ces lieux m’appelle?’ - Phѐdre, Chorus

Act Five

Scene 1

  • ‘Grands Dieux!’ - Thésée

Scene 2

  • ‘Arrete!’ - Neptune, Thésée

Scene 3

  • ‘Ou suis-je?’ - Aricie

Scene 4

  • ‘Descendez, brilliante immortelle’ - Chorus, Aricie

Scene 5

  • ‘Peuples toujours soumis’ - Diane

Scene 6

  • ‘O trop heureux bergers!’ - Aricie, Diane

Scene 7

  • ‘Ou suis-je transporte?’ - Hippolyte, Aricie, Diane
  • Duet ‘Que mon sort est digne d’envie!’ - Aricie, Hippolyte
  • ‘Tendres amantes, cos malheurs sont finis’ - Diane, Aricie, Hippolyte

Scene 8

  • ‘Chandonts sur la musette’ - Chorus
  • ‘Bergers, vous allez voir combien’ - Diane, Chorus
  • Chaconne
  • Arietta ‘Rossignols amoureux’ - Une Bergère
  • 1st Gavotte
  • 2nd Gavotte
  • ‘Déesse, mon bonheur passe mon espérance’ - Hippolyte, Diane

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

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Key Terms

    The French Academy; the French institute overseeing matters pertaining to the French language.

    Relating to or denoting a style of European music, art, and architecture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

    Stories from ancient cultures about divine figures and supernatural events, often considered as a combination of literature, science, history, and religion

    Description of material not protected by copyright law.

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Guide Written By:

Wendy Silvester

Wendy Silvester

Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.