Armide

After victoriously defeating the armies of King Godefroi of Jerusalem using only her magic power, Armide is still not satisfied. She will not be satisfied until one of her enemy's knights, Renaud, is finally defeated. But there is something about Renaud that unsettles this powerful and controlling Princess of Damascus. Armide knows she hates Renaud with every ounce of hatred she can muster, but somewhere inside her the smallest flame of love burns.

Armide captures Renaud while he is asleep, but as she raises the knife to execute him, her hand is stopped. The love she feels overwhelms her, and she cannot bear to harm him. Instead, she steals Renaud away to an enchanted palace on the other side of the world to try and come to terms with how she feels. She knows that she should hate him, so she summons La Haine, hatred herself, to replenish her own capacity for hatred. Even La Haine cannot overcome the love that has filled Armide’s heart, and curses her to be forever controlled by this love.

Two valiant knights brave the monsters and enchantments of Armide’s desert to find the palace and rescue Renaud. They call him back to serve the glory they fight for, and Renaud gratefully accepts. Without her hatred, Armide has no power to stop Renaud leaving. She will remain in her palace, still desperately loving him, until it finally defeats her.

Lully’s Armide is considered by many to be one of the best examples of early French baroque opera, in a genre known as tragedie en musique.

Author’s Note: Due to the age of this opera, many of the French spellings are archaic. These have been preserved in the breakdown below for clarity.

Prologue

Overture

• ‘Tout doit céder dans l'Univers’ - La Gloire, La Sagesse, Chorus
• ‘D'une ésgale tendresse’ - La Gloire, La Sagesse, Chorus
• Entrée
• Menuet
• Gavotte
• ‘Suivons nostre Héros, que rien ne nous sépare’ - La Gloire, La Sagesse, Chorus
• Entree
• Menuet
• ‘Que dans le Temple de Memoire’ - Chorus

Act 1

Scene 1

• ‘Dans un jour de triomphe’ - Armide, Phenice, Sidonie

Scene 2

• ‘Armide, que le sang’ - Armide, Hidraot

Scene 3

• Entree
• ‘Armide est encor plus aymable’ - Hidraot, Chorus
• Sarabande
• ‘Suivons Armide and chantons sa Victoire’ - Phénice, Chorus
• Sarabande
• ‘Que la douceur d’un triomphe est extrême’ - Sidonie, Chorus

Scene 4

• ‘O Ciel! O disgrace cruelle’ - Aronte, Armide, Hidraot
• Poursuivons jusqu’au trépas’ - Armide, Hidraot, Chorus
• Entr’acte

Act 2

Scene 1

• ‘Invincible Heros, c’est par vostre courage’ - Artémidore, Renaud

Scene 2

• ‘Arrestons-nous icy, c’est dans ce lieu fatal’ - Armide, Hidraot

Scene 3

• ‘Plus j’oserve ces lieux’ - Renaud

Scene 4

• ‘Au temps heureux où l’on sait plaire’ - La Nymphe
• ‘Ah! Quelle erreur’ - Chorus
• First Air
• Second Air
• ‘On s'éstonnerait moin que la saison nouvelle’ - Une Bergère Héroïque
• ‘Laissons au tendre amour’ - La Bergère
• ‘Ah! Quelle erreur’ - Chorus

Scene 5

• ‘Enfin il est en ma puissance’ - Armide Entr’acte

Act 3

Scene 1

• ‘Ah! Si la liberte me doit’ - Armide

Scene 2

• ‘Que ne peut point vostre art?’ - Armide, Phenice, Sidonie

Scene 3

• ‘Venez, venez, Haine implacable’ - Armide

Scene 4

• ‘Je responds a tes voeux’ - La Haine, Chorus
• Interlude
• ‘Amour, sors pour jamais’ - La Haine, Chorus
• Air
• ‘Sors, sors du sain d’Armide, Amour, brise ta chaine’ - La Haine, Armide
• Entr’acte

Act 4

Scene 1

• ‘Nous ne trouvons par tout que des Gouffres ouverts’ - Ubalde, Le Chavalier Danois
• Air

Scene 2

• ‘Voicy la charmante Retraite’ - Lucinde, Chorus
• Gavotte
• Canaries
• ‘Allons, qui vous retient encore?’ - Lucinde, Le Chevalier Danois, Ubalde

Scene 3

• ‘Je tourne en vain les yeux’ - Le Chevalier Danois, Ubalde

Scene 4

• ‘D'où vient que vous, vous destournez’ - Melisse, Ubalde, Le Chevalier Danois
• Entr’acte

Act 5

Scene 1

• ‘Armide, vous m’allez quitter’ - Armide, Renaud

Scene 2

• Passacaille
• ‘Les plaisirs ont choisi pour azile’ - Un amante fortuné, Chorus
• ‘Allez, éloignez-vous de moy’ - Renaud

Scene 3

• Prelude
• ‘Il est seul’ - Renaud, Ubalde, Le Chevalier Danois

Scene 4

• ‘Renaud? Ciel! O mortelle peine!’ - Armide, Renaud, Le Chevalier Danois, Ubalde

Scene 5

• ‘Le perfide Renaud me fuit’ - Armide
• Prelude
• Air