Armide

Opéra-Comique, Salle Favart, Paris, France

All photos (1)

Select date and time

8 PM

Request for Tickets

Important Info

Type: Opera

City: Paris, France

Starts at: 20:00

Acts: 5

Intervals: 1

Duration: 3h 30min

Sung in: French

Titles in: French,English

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Overview

When Syria was a land of crusades and myths, the Queen Armide did not only abduct christian knights but captivated them by her charms. As Renaud, the bravest one, undertakes the liberation of his comrades, the unconquerable witch unexpectedly falls in love with him. This unholy passion proves to be devastating…

Inspired by Tasso, Lully’s Armide had been illustrating the climax of French opera since 1686. Writing a new score from Quinet’s libretto, 91 years later, was a challenge. But as he settled in Paris, Gluck pushed his conception of scenic truth, musical expression and tragedy effectiveness forward thanks to Queen Marie-Antoinette, who witnessed the triumph of her protégé.

Lilo Baur, stage director, and Christophe Rousset, musical director, enliven the battles, the enchantments and giddy passions overwhelming one of the greatest heroines of the repertoire, embodied by Véronique Gens, for her first leading role at the Opéra Comique.

Heroic drama in five acts. Libretto by Philippe Quinault. Created at the Académie royale de musique (Opéra) in 1777.

History

Premiere of this production: 23 September 1777, Salle du Palais-Royal, Paris

Armide is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck, set to a libretto by Philippe Quinault. Gluck's fifth production for the Parisian stage and the composer's own favourite among his works, it was first performed on 23 September 1777 by the Académie Royale de Musique in the second Salle du Palais-Royal in Paris.

Synopsis

During the First Crusade, Armide ensnares her enemy the Christian knight Renaud with her magic spells. At the moment she raises her dagger to kill him, she finds herself falling in love with him. She casts a spell to make him love her in return. Upon returning to her castle, she cannot bear that Renaud's love is only the work of enchantment. She calls on the Goddess of Hate to restore her hatred for Renaud, but fails to escape from her feelings of love for him. The Goddess condemns Armide to eternal love. Before Armide can return to Renaud, two of his fellow soldiers reach Renaud and break Armide's spell. Renaud manages to escape from Armide, who is left enraged, despairing, and hopeless.

Venue Info

Opéra-Comique - Paris
1 Place Boieldieu

The Opéra Comique was founded in 1714 under the reign of Louis XIV. It is one of the oldest French dramatic and musical institutions along with the Opéra de Paris and the Comédie-Française.

Its history was alternately turbulent and prestigious until it was listed on the register of national theaters in 2005. In 2015 the Opéra Comique is celebrating its tricentennial.

From 1783 onward, the seasons of the company were presented in a theater named after the famous librettist Charles-Simon Favart. The Salle Favart burnt down twice and was rebuilt on the same site.
Opéra comique as a genre is represented by the Opéra Comique company. The term "comique" does not mean that laughter is compulsory. Rather, sung lines are interspersed with spoken drama. Opéra comique stands in contrast with opera, which is sung throughout, and its specificities were taught until 1991.

The third oldest French dramatic institution after the Opéra de Paris and the Comédie-Française, the Opéra Comique produced a repertoire that spread throughout France and abroad in the Age of Enlightenment. However, unlike the other two institutions it has never been able to either centralize or process its archives. Today they are scattered in various places.
Jérôme Deschamps has been the director of the institution since 2007 with the purpose of inviting the public to recapture the Opéra Comique in a historical perspective.