Les surprises de l'Amour is an opéra-ballet in two entrées (three or four in later versions) and a prologue by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. It was first performed in Versailles on 27 November 1748. The opera is set to a libretto by Gentil-Bernard. According to the usage of the time, it was originally just billed as a balletcf. the 1757 libretto title page reproduced in Le magazin de l'opéra baroque (Page: "Les surprises de l'amour") and Charles Collé's review of the 1748 premiere (ibid) and was only later classified by scholars as an opéra-ballet,Sadler, op. cit. although its content might more precisely ascribe it to the ballet héroïque genre.
The original 1748 version consisted of a prologue and two entrées (acts), "La lyre enchantée" and "Adonis". For its 1757 revival, Rameau cut the prologue and added a third entrée, "Anacréon". The composer had written another opera under the title Anacréon in 1754. The earlier work has a libretto by Louis de Cahusac and a completely different plot. Both are linked by the figure of the ancient Greek lyric poet Anacreon. William Christie and Marc Minkowski have recorded the 1757 Anacréon separately. The complete 1757 Les surprises de l'Amour did not appear on disc until Sébastien d'Hérin's recording in 2013.
Performance history The work was commissioned by Madame de Pompadour to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and premiered at the third-season opening of her Théâtre des Petits Appartements for the inauguration of the Theatre's new venue upon the Grand Escalier des Ambassadeurs (Ambassadors' Grand Staircase) in the Palace of Versailles,The theatre, which was also known as the Théâtre des Petits Cabinets, had begun its performances in early 1747 and, on account of its success, had had to be completely refitted in 1748 and moved onto the Grand Escalier des Ambassadeurs: it could be completely taken apart in 14 hours and then re-assembled in another 24 (Lever, op. cit., p. 97), and was rumoured to have cost the incredible sum of two millions livres, having a seating capacity of 40 spectators and 40 musicians, with a royal box opposite the scene and privileged boxes on either side. The statutes had been drawn up by Madame de Pompadour herself, who had secured great privileges for actresses: they alone were entitled to choose programmes and to settle rehearsals and revivals, and were even permitted a half an hour delay before being fined for late coming. The Duke of La Vallière had been appointed director of the theatre, François Rebel the conductor, Bernard de Bury the chorus-master, and the dance-master. All singers were noble courtiers. The theatre was closed in 1751, at the end of its fourth season, when theatre performances were banned from Versailles, and Mme de Pompadour had to relocate her theatrical activities to her new Bellevue Palace starring Madame De Pompadour herself in two of the original soprano roles, Urania and Venus. In its first form, the work was composed of an allegorical prologue relating to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, "Le retour d'Astrée", and of two entrées, "La lyre enchantée" and "Adonis". Les surprises de l'amour was the first opera specially written by Rameau for the Théâtre des Petits Appartements and was also his first work that was given in the course of its programmes. It was not particularly successful: scenery, costumes, machinery and the new theatre venue were much admired, but the opera itself got the king to openly yawn and to confess he "would like better a comedy".Éditorial du mois (December 2006): "Le Théâtre des Petits Appartements", and "Les surprises de l'amour", in Le magazin de l'opéra baroque
The work was revived at the Paris Opéra in 1757 to inaugurate the new directors, François Francœur and François Rebel. The prologue, which was no longer relevant, was cut, and a new overture was performed in its place. The two original entrées were heavily revised: "Adonis" was renamed "L'enlèvement d'Adonis" (The rape of Adonis) and a third entrée, "Anacréon", was added. Its first run lasted until 14 August 1757, but only its second and third entrées were performed after 10 JulyPitou, op. cit. (the original La lyre enchantée was replaced by a version of Les sibarites, an acte de ballet by Rameau to a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel, first performed in 1753). The different entrées were swapped around at various times for later performances and the "self-sufficiency of each portion of Les surprises de l'Amour made the tripartite work a likely source of material for the programs of fragments growing popular in the years before the Revolution".
Writing in Grove Music Online, Graham Sadler considers the air "Nouvelle Hébé, charmante Lycoris" for Anacreon's bass part and the "ravishing, chromatic sommeil" to be "especially fine", and the whole entrée to be the best piece of the opera. Despite the opinion reported by Charles Collé that the 1757 version "[smelt] of old age" (Rameau was by then 73),"Un ouvrage ... qui sent la vieillesse" (Journal et Mémoires de Charles Collé sur les hommes de lettres, les ouvrages dramatiques et les événements les plus mémorables du règne de Louis XV (1748–1772), Paris, Didot, 1868, p. 93). Sadler believes that "the new and revised music is almost invariably more interesting than that of the original", and that "the airs de ballet are, as always, amazingly inventive". Spire Pitou partly shared Sadler's appreciation, he states that "Rameau's most striking passage in Les surprises de l'Amour was the 'sleep music' in [the] concluding act".
Roles +RoleVoice type/dancing characterPremiere cast, 27 November 1748Cast of the Palais-Royal first performance, 31 May 1757 Prologue: "Le Retour d'Astrée" (Astraea's return) cut from 1757 versionVulcainbasse-taille (bass-baritone)The Duke of AyenAstréesopranoMme de BrancasUn Plaisir (a Pleasure)sopranoMme de Marchais née Élisabeth-Jeanne (or Élisabeth-Josèphe) de Laborde, the Baroness of Marchais was a distant cousin-in-law of Madame de Pompadour's as the wife of Gérard Binet, the king's prime valet de chambre ("Le Devin du Village", in Le magazine de l'opéra baroque ). After being widowed in 1780, the following year she married the Count of Angiviller and was still alive at the beginning of the French Empire (Lever, op. cit., p. 283, note: 18), after having shrewdly come through the Reign of TerrorLe Temps (Time)basse-taillethe Marquis of La Sallefull name: Marie-Louis Caillebot de La Salle; for further biographical information, cf. WikiManche, ad nomen First (1757: Second) entrée: "La lyre enchantée" (The enchanted lyre)UraniesopranoMme de PompadourMarie-Jeanne Fesch "Mlle Chevalier"L'Amour (Cupid)sopranoMme de MarchaisRole unperformed in 1757ParténopesopranoRole unperformed at the premiereMarie FelLinusbasse-taille (1748)/haute-contre (1757)M. de la SalleFrançois PoirierApollonbasse-taille Henri LarrivéeTerpsichoredancerLouise-Madeleine LanyLes MusesdancersMlles Coupée, Marquise, Chevrier, RiquetSirènes (Sirens)dancersMlles Deschamps, Mopin, Pagés, ChaumartÉlèves de Terpsichore (Terpsichore's pupils)dancersMrs Dubois, Lelièvre, Balety, BeatSylvains et Dryades (Sylvans and Dryads)dancersMelles Lyonois, Fleury, Morel, Armand, Thételingre; Mrs Lyonois, Rivet, Trupty, Dupré (fils), Hus Second (1757: First) entrée: "Adonis" (1748) or "L'enlèvement d'Adonis" (The rape of Adonis) (1757)VénussopranoMme de PompadourMlle DavauxL'Amour (Cupid)sopranoMme de MarchaisMarie-Jeanne Larrivée LemièreDianesopranoMme de BrancasLouise JacquetAdonisbasse-taille (1748)/ soprano (1757)the originally bass-bariton part was transposed for soprano in the 1757 revival; all online sources state Mlle Dubois as the performerthe Duke of AyenMlle DuboisSuivant de Diane (a follower of Diane)haute-contrethe Viscount of RohanLouis-Auguste de Rohan-Chabot, Viscount of Rohan, who later got the title of Viscount of Chabot and Count of Jarnac, used to perform the major haute-contre roles in Madame de Pompadour's theatres (as, for instance, the protagonist of Lully's Acis et Galathée in 1749). For further biographical information about Rohan, cf. M. le Chevalier de Courcelles, Histoire généalogique et héraldique des pairs de France, des grands dignitaires de la couronne, des principales familles nobles du royaume, et des maisons princières de l'Europe, précédée de la généalogie de la maison de France, Paris, chez l'auteur & Arthus Bertrand, Libraire, 1827, tome huitième, p. 210 (the page is accessible online in books.google; consulted 2 April 2010) Mercurehaute-contre GodartA rather obscure Godart is stated by the 1757 original libretto as the performer of the role of Mercure. A tenor bearing the same name (although spelled Godard) is generally reported as the first performer of the male title role in Giraud and Montan-Berton's Deucalion et Pyrrha (1755), and is also credited by GluckGesamtausgabe with the leading role of Ali in Gluck's La rencontre imprévue (Vienna, 1764). According to Bruce Alan Brown he "had made his Parisian debut in the title role of Rameau's Pygmalion in 1752". ("Gluck's Rencontre Imprévue and Its Revisions"; Journal of the American Musicological Society, 36, 1983, p. 503).A nymphsopranoMlle LhéritierEndymion (ballet)dancerGaétan VestrisDiane (ballet)dancerMarie-Françoise-Thérèse VestrisL'Amour (Cupid) (ballet)dancerMlle GuimardLes Grâces (the Graces)dancersMlles Marquise, Coupée, ChevrierNymphes et chasseurs (nymphs and hunters)dancersMlles Louise-Madeleine Lany, Fleury, Morel, Thételingre; Mrs Laval, Lyonois, Rivet, Trupty, DupréJeux et Plaisirs (games and pleasures)dancersMlles Riquet, Pagés, Chomart, Mopin, Deschamps; Mrs Dubois, Hamoche, Beat, Balety, Galodier Third entrée: "Anacréon" (1757)not in 1748 versionL'Amour (Cupid)sopranoMarie-Jeanne Larrivée LemièreAnacréonbasse-tailleNicolas GélinLa prêtresse de Bacchus (priestess of Bacchus)sopranoMlle DavauxLycorisdancerMlle PuvignéAgathoclehaute-contreFrançois PoirierEuricleshaute-contreMuguetDeux convives (two guests)taille (baritenor)/basse-tailleM Poussint; M RobinEsclaves d'Anacréon (Anacréon's slaves)dancersMlles Pagés, Chomart, Mopin, Deschamps; Mrs Galodier, Hamoche, Feuillade, Gaétan VestrisLes Grâces (the Graces)dancersMlles Marquise, Coupée, ChevrierEgypans & Ménades (Egypans and Maenads)dancersMlles Lyonois, Riquet, Dumirey, Morel, Fleury;, Laval, Rivet, Hus, Dupré, TruptyJeux et Plaisirs (Games and Pleasures)dancersMrs Dubois, Lelièvre, Beat, Balety
Synopsis (1757 version)
1st entrée: "L'enlèvement d'Adonis" (The rape of Adonis) Topic: struggle between love and chastity for the unabridged French libretto, see Rameau Le site, "L'Enlèvement d'Adonis"