Leonardo García-Alarcón will once again be on the bill at the Royal Opera to conduct Jean-Philippe Rameau's third opera with Cappella Mediterranea and the Chœur de Chambre de Namur.

Castor and Pollux explores the power of sacrifice and brotherly bonds in the face of divine laws. Pollux, the immortal son of Jupiter, renounces his immortality to descend into the Underworld and bring his brother Castor back to life. Rameau explores the intertwining of brotherly love against a backdrop of heroism and echoes of war.

Although he had already written numerous keyboard pieces, religious pieces and occasional pieces, it was a Jean-Philippe Rameau, already in his fifties, who composed his first tragédie lyrique, Hippolyte et Aricie , in 1733. Les Indes galantes followed in 1735 and, finally, in 1737, Castor et Pollux . The composer integrated Italianate madrigalisms, virtuoso ornamentation, unusual chord progressions, subtle dissonances and rich orchestral textures into these five acts punctuated by dance divertissements, all aimed at highlighting the characters' emotions and dramatic tensions.

In a dual desire to return to the work's roots and to uncover a little-known score, Leonardo García-Alarcón decided to tackle the rarely performed 1737 version, more innovative and more subtle than the one reworked in 1754. Against the backdrop of a war between two neighboring peoples that has left deep scars, Rameau paints an almost psychological portrait of the characters, in particular of Pollux torn between his love for Télaïre, the betrothed of his brother Castor, and his duty to him. Eager to renounce his immortality to save his mortal brother who fell in battle, Pollux descends into hell to take his place. What is at stake here is a brotherhood that seeks to be universal and that transcends everything—even death—an unconditional love that triumphs over the horrors of war.

Musical tragedy in a prologue and five acts on a libretto by Gentil-Bernard, created at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in 1737.

Concert in French with French and English surtitles.