Baroque Tuesday: de La Guerre – Céphale et Procris (Overture) (1694)

Céphale et Procris (1694) is a five-act tragédie en musique (French Baroque opera) composed by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, with a libretto by Joseph-François Duché de Vancy.

Based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, it is notable as the first full-scale opera composed by a woman for the Paris Opéra.

Key details about the opera include:

• Plot: The story follows the tragic love of Céphale and Procris, who are separated by the jealousy of the goddess Aurore and ultimately driven to a fatal misunderstanding.
• Style: While heavily influenced by the style of Jean-Baptiste Lully, the work includes original elements, such as a quiet final scene rather than a traditional chorus.
• Performance History: Premiered on March 17, 1694, at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, the work had a short initial run of only five or six performances. It has recently been revived and recorded.
• Structure: The work consists of a prologue (an allegorical homage to Louis XIV) and five acts.