View source for Platée

{{Short description|1745 opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau}}
[[File:Portrait of Jean-Philippe Rameau - Joseph Aved.jpg|thumb|[[Jean-Philippe Rameau]]]]
'''''Platée''''' is an [[opera]] in a prologue and three acts by [[Jean-Philippe Rameau]] with a [[libretto]] by [[Adrien-Joseph Le Valois d'Orville]]. Rameau bought the rights to the libretto ''Platée ou Junon jalouse'' (''Plataea, or Juno Jealous'') by [[Jacques Autreau]] (1657–1745) and had d'Orville modify it.{{sfn|Girdlestone|1969|p=436}} The ultimate source of the story is a myth related by the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] writer [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] in his ''Guide to Greece''.

Rameau's first attempt at comic opera, the plot concerns an ugly water [[nymph]] who believes that [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], the king of the gods, is in love with her.{{sfn|Holden|2001|p=838}} The work was initially called a ''ballet bouffon'', though it was later styled a ''comédie lyrique'', putting it in the same category as Rameau's ''[[Les Paladins]]''. It was written for the celebrations of the wedding of [[Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765)|Louis, Dauphin of France]], son of King [[Louis XV]], to the Infanta [[María Teresa Rafaela of Spain]], who, according to contemporary sources, like the title character was no beauty. Instead of getting the composer into trouble, the entertainment at [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] seems to have been well received, and Rameau was appointed a few months later to the position of Composer of the King's Chamber Music with a sizable annual pension.

The opera was first performed on 31 March 1745 at the [[Grande Écurie]], [[Versailles, Yvelines|Versailles]].

==Background to the opera==
Comic opera was relatively rare during the [[Baroque]] era in France and the musicologist [[Cuthbert Girdlestone]] expresses his surprise that none of Rameau's contemporaries seem to have remarked on the innovative nature of ''Platée''.{{sfn|Girdlestone|1969|p=336}} Rameau may have been inspired by a revival of an earlier comic opera, ''[[Les amours de Ragonde]]'' by [[Jean-Joseph Mouret]], in 1742,{{sfn|Alexandre|1989|p=28}} or by [[Joseph Bodin de Boismortier]]'s comic opera-ballet, ''[[Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse]]'' from 1743.

==Performance history and reception==
''Platée'' was one of the most highly regarded of Rameau's operas during his lifetime. It even pleased critics who had expressed hostility to his musical style during the [[Querelle des Bouffons]] (an argument over the relative merits of French and Italian opera). [[Melchior Grimm]] called it a "sublime work" and even Rameau's bitter enemy [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]] referred to it as "divine".{{sfn|Girdlestone|1969|p=439}} The reason for this praise may be because these critics saw ''Platée'', a comic opera, paving the way for the lighter form of ''[[opera buffa]]'' they favoured.{{sfn|Girdlestone|1969|p=440}} [[Voltaire]] however, who was in the audience in Versailles, wrote to his niece, "You didn't miss much except a large crowd and a very bad work. It is the height of indecency, boredom, and impertinence."<ref>[https://www.pinchgutopera.com.au/platee-by-rameau-film Conductor's note], [[Erin Helyard]], 2021</ref>
[[File:Jélyotte_by_Coypel.jpg|thumb|[[Pierre Jélyotte]] in the role of the Nymph Plataea, by [[Charles-Antoine Coypel]] (c. 1745)]]
The work received one performance at the marriage festivities at Versailles in 1745. Little is known about this production, except that the title role was taken by the ''[[haute-contre]]'' [[Pierre Jélyotte]], a famous character actor. Rameau revised the opera in collaboration with the librettist [[Ballot de Sauvot]] and presented it at the [[Paris Opera|Opéra]] in Paris on 9 February 1749.<ref>The first performance was originally scheduled for February 4, but had to be postponed on account of the death of the [[Françoise Marie de Bourbon|Duchess of Orleans]] ([http://operabaroque.fr/Cadre_baroque.htm ''Le magazine de l'opéra baroque''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301014708/http://operabaroque.fr/Cadre_baroque.htm |date=2014-03-01 }} – Page: ''Platée''; the Duchess is stated to have been "the [[Regent]]'s mother": in fact, she had been the ''wife'' of [[Philippe II, Duke of Orléans]] at the time of the [[Régence]]).</ref> Its first public run was very successful and it was later revived in 1750 and again in 1754, always starring in the title role the second leading ''haute-contre'' of the ''Opéra'', {{ill|Jean-Paul Spesoller de Latour|lt=Jean-Paul Spesoller|it}}, called La Tour.<ref>Sources used not to report the full name of this singer, generally referred to just as La Tour, Latour or Delatour. The name Georges Imbart de La Tour, given by the site [http://almanac-gherardo-casaglia.com/index.php?Start=0&Giorno=&Mese=&Anno=&Giornata=&Testo=Georges+Imbart+de+La+Tour&Parola=Stringa L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia], is erroneous as it belongs in fact to another tenor of the late nineteenth century. The exact full name is now reported  by Sylvie Bouissou in her article ''Latour, Jean-Paul Spesoller de'', in ''Dictionnaire de l’Opéra de Paris sous l’Ancien Régime (1669–1791)'', tome III (H–O), pp. 413-414.</ref> According to [[Rodolfo Celletti]], the role of Platée performed by La Tour was the highest ''haute-contre'' part ever written by Rameau.<ref>{{in lang|it}} "La Scuola vocale francese e Rameau", p. 90, in ''Storia dell'Opera'' (ideata da Guglielmo Barblan e diretta da Aberto Basso), UTET, Torino, 1977, vol. III/1</ref> The 1754 revival was part of the continuing ''[[Querelle des Bouffons]]'', pitted against [[Leonardo Leo]]'s Italian ''opera buffa'', ''I viaggiatori''. ''Platée'' was last performed complete during Rameau's lifetime in 1759.

The next production would not take place until 1901 in [[Munich]], in a heavily adapted German version by Hans Schilling-Ziemssen.<ref>An Italian version entitled ''Platea'' was also given in Como ([[Teatro Sociale, Como|Teatro Sociale]]) and Milan ([[Teatro Carcano]]) in 1921 {{harv|Girdlestone|1969|p=441}}.</ref> The French version reappeared at a production in [[Monte Carlo]] in 1917 but ''Platée'' only returned to France at the [[Aix-en-Provence Festival]] in 1956 with young tenor [[Michel Sénéchal]] as the queen of frogs, a part which Sénéchal took again in the revival presented by the [[Paris Opera]] at the [[Salle Favart]] in 1977,<ref>Pitt, Charles. "France – An un-magic ''Flute''" (includes review of ''Platée''). ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', August 1977, pp. 775–776; [http://data.bnf.fr/39486294/platee_spectacle_1977/ ''Platée'' Paris Opera 21 April 1977 performance details], [[BnF]]</ref> with [[Michel Plasson]] as conductor.<ref name="Opéra-Comique">[http://www.opera-comique.com/sites/TNOC/files/uploads/documents/202-platee-alireavantlespectacleanglais2.pdf Opéra-Comique’s programme] for the performances of ''Platée'', 2014</ref> The opera made its debut in the Netherlands in 1968, in the United Kingdom in 1983 and in the United States in 1987. The London performances, in a production by the English Bach Festival at [[Sadler's Wells Theatre|Sadler's Wells]], conducted by [[Jean-Claude Malgoire]], featured Jean-Claude Orliac in the title role, with [[Henry Herford]], Peter Jeffes and [[Marilyn Hill Smith]].<ref>[[Winton Dean|Dean, Winton]]. "''Platée'' [review]". ''[[The Musical Times]]'', December 1983, vol. cxxiv, no. 1690, pp. 758–759.</ref>

''Platée'' appeared again at the Salle Favart in 1989 with Jean-Claude Malgoire as conductor,<ref name="Opéra-Comique" /> and in 1999 it was staged at the [[Palais Garnier]] in Paris in a production by [[Laurent Pelly]] that was later released on DVD, with [[Jean-Paul Fouchécourt]], then [[Paul Agnew]], in the title part, conducted by [[Marc Minkowski]]. The opera was also presented as a co-production of [[New York City Opera]] and the Mark Morris Dance Group, directed by [[Mark Morris (choreographer)|Mark Morris]] during the 1997 [[Edinburgh Festival]], a production that then toured to London and the USA. The opera was also staged by the [[Santa Fe Opera]] as part of the Summer 2007 Festival season in an adaptation of the Paris Opera production also directed by Laurent Pelly, with many of the same production team, and conducted by [[Harry Bicket]]. In 2014 ''Platée'' had a new production at Vienna's [[Theater an der Wien]] and Paris' [[Opéra-Comique]] conducted by Paul Agnew<ref>Agnew replaced [[William Christie (musician)|William Christie]] who was indisposed (Classicnews.com, review: ''[http://www.classiquenews.com/compte-rendu-opera-paris-rameau-platee-a-lopera-comique-les-arts-florissants-le-20-mars-2014-paul-agnew-direction-robert-carsen-mise-en-scene/ Compte rendu, opéra. Paris. Rameau : Platée à l’Opéra Comique (Les Arts Florissants), le 20 mars 2014. Paul Agnew, direction. Robert Carsen, mise en scène]''</ref> and directed by [[Robert Carsen]].<ref name="Opéra-Comique" /> Its first performance in Australia was by [[Pinchgut Opera]] in Sydney, directed by [[Neil Armfield]], conducted by [[Erin Helyard]], with [[Kanen Breen]] in the title role, [[Cheryl Barker]] as Juno and her husband, [[Peter Coleman-Wright]], as Jupiter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/platee-reigns-supreme-on-the-sydney-operatic-stage-172684|title=''Platée'' reigns supreme on the Sydney operatic stage|author=Daniela Kaleva|date=3 December 2021|website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]|access-date=27 February 2022}}</ref> In 2023, the [[Zürich Opera House]] featured a new production of the opera staged by Jetske Mijnssen and conducted by [[Emmanuelle Haïm]], with cast including Mathias Vidal, [[Evan Hughes]], [[Katia Ledoux]], Renato Dolcini and [[Alasdair Kent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opernhaus.ch/spielplan/kalendarium/platee/|title=''Platée''|website=[[Zürich Opera House]]|access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref>

==Roles==
{| class="wikitable"
!Role
!Voice type
!Premiere cast,<ref>[http://jp.rameau.free.fr/platee.htm ''Platée'', premiere details, libretto], Rameau Le Site, jp.rameau.free.fr (accessed 28 October 2022)</ref> 31 March 1745
!2nd version cast,<ref>[http://operabaroque.fr/Cadre_baroque.htm ''Le magazine de l'opéra baroque''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301014708/http://operabaroque.fr/Cadre_baroque.htm |date=2014-03-01 }} (accessed 3 October 2010)</ref> 9 February 1749
|-
! colspan="4"| Prologue: La Naissance de la comédie / ''The birth of the Comedy''
|-
|[[Thespis]], ''inventor of comedy''
|[[haute-contre]] <br />(high tenor)
|{{ill|Jean-Paul Spesoller de Latour|lt=Jean-Paul Spesoller|it}},<br>generally known as La Tour or Latour
|François Poirier
|-
|[[Momus]]
|[[bass-baritone]]
|Albert{{efn|name=NAME}}
|Lamarre (also spelled La Marre){{efn|name=NAME|First name unknown}}
|-
|[[Thalia (Muse)|Thalie]]
|[[soprano]]
|[[Marie Fel]]
|Marie-Angélique Coupé
|-
|[[Cupid|Amour]]/Cupid ([[En travesti|travesti]] role)
|soprano
|Marie-Angélique Coupé <br />(also spelled Couppé or Coupée)
|M.lle Rosalie{{efn|name=NAME}}
|-
|Un [[Satyr|satire]]/''a satyr''
|bass-baritone
|Benoit{{efn|name=NAME}}
|Person{{efn|name=NAME}}
|-
|Vendangeuses/ ''Vintaging girls''
|sopranos
|M.lles Cartou and Dalman{{efn|name=NAME}}
|M.lles Cartou{{efn|name=NAME}} and Marie-Madeleine Jendrest, ''m.lle Chefdeville''
|-
! colspan="4"| Ballet (''[[comédie lyrique]]'')
|-
|[[Cithaeron|Cithéron]]/Cithaeron, ''King of Greece''
|bass-baritone
|François Le Page (also spelled Lepage)
|François Le Page
|-
|[[Mercury (mythology)|Mercure]]/ Mercury
|haute-contre
|Jean Antoine Bérard
|François Poirier 
|-
|Platée, ''nymph of a large marsh at the foot of Mount Cithaeron'' (travesti role)
|haute-contre
|[[Pierre Jélyotte]]
|La Tour (Jean-Paul Spesoller)
|-
|Clarine, ''a fountain, maidservant to Platée''
|soprano
|M.lle Bourbonnais{{efn|name=NAME}}
|Marie-Angélique Coupé
|-
|Une [[naiad]]e/ ''a naiad, another maidservant to Platée''  
|soprano
|M.lle Metz{{efn|name=NAME}}
| ?
|-
|[[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]]
|bass-baritone
|Claude-Louis-Dominique Chassé de Chinais
|Person
|-
|La Folie/ Folly
|soprano
|Marie Fel
|Marie Fel
|-
|[[Juno (mythology)|Junon]]/ Juno
|soprano
|Marie-Jeanne Fesch, "''m.lle Chevalier''
|Louise Jacquet
|-
|Momus 
|''taille'' ([[baritenor]])<br> or bass-baritone
|Louis-Antoine Cuvillier <br />(also spelled Cuvilliers or Cuvelier)
|Lamarre 
|-
|Iris 
|[[Mime artist|mime]]
|<ref>According to [http://jp.rameau.free.fr/platee.htm Rameau Le Site], this mute is credited to Cuvillier, as well as the singing character of Momus, but it seems to be impossible, because both characters appear together on stage</ref>
| ?
|-
|colspan="4"|Animals, scholars, chorus, dancers
|-
|}
{{notelist}}

==Synopsis==

===Prologue ===
After a night of partying, the Chorus wakes Thespis from a drunken sleep. When Thalie and Momus arrive, they seek Thespis' help in planning the presentation of an entertainment in which they will recreate a long-ago attempt by Jupiter to cure his wife, Juno, of her jealousy. Initially left out of the planning, a furious Cupid arrives on the scene and proclaims that it will be impossible to stage the event without him: "how could there be a play without the inspiration of love?" he asks.{{sfn|Mays|2007|p=56}} All four then lay out the plan.

===Act 1===
In the middle of a raging storm, Mercury comes down from the heavens and explains to Citheron that it is caused by Juno's jealousy and that he has been sent by Jupiter to find a way of taking his mind off the problem. Citheron's solution is to propose the enactment of the plan put together by the four conspirators: Jupiter will pretend to fall in love with the ugly marsh nymph, Platée &mdash; who is convinced that everything that comes near her pond is madly in love with her &mdash; and, when Juno finds them together and about to marry, she will realize that her jealousy is baseless and the couple will be re-united.

After Platée arrives, Mercury leaves to inform Jupiter. While she seems to believe that it is Cithéron who is in love with her &mdash; in spite of his denials &mdash; she is delighted to hear from Mercury that Jupiter will soon descend from the heavens and declare his love: "The god of thunder, drawn to earth by your beauty, wishes to cast at your feet both his heart and the Universe."{{sfn|Mays|2007|p=57}} A new storm created by Juno bursts forth, but Platée is not put out and the marsh creatures retreat to their watery homes.

===Act 2===
Having sent Juno off to Athens, Mercury and Cithéron find a hiding place to observe the proceedings. Accompanied by Momus, Jupiter arrives, revealing himself first as a donkey (to the accompanying sounds of donkey braying from the orchestra), then as an owl, and finally, in person in a clap of thunder and bright light. An extended ''divertissment'' proceeds, including a show-stopping highlight in which La Folie (Madness) sings the story of Apollo and Daphne as a warning to Platée not to get involved with Jupiter. Dancers and singers alternately praise and mock Platée.

===Act 3===
As people arrive for the marriage of Jupiter and Platée, a furious-at-being-tricked Juno has returned from Athens but she is persuaded to hide until the right moment. Momus appears, poorly disguised as Love, and offers "gifts" to Platée. Jupiter and Platée begin to take part in the wedding ceremony, but, stalling after his initial "I swear", he awaits the arrival of Juno. When she finally sees Platée and removes her veil, she realizes that it was all a joke. The gods ascend back to heaven and the humiliated Platée leaps back into the pond.

==Recordings==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!width="140"|Cast<br>(Platée, La Folie, Thespis/Mercure, Cithéron, Jupiter)
!Orchestra, conductor
!Label
|-
| 1956  || [[Michel Sénéchal]],<br>[[Janine Micheau]],<br>[[Nicolai Gedda]],<br>[[Jacques Jansen]],<br>Huc Santana || [[Hans Rosbaud]],<br>[[Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire]], Choeurs du [[Festival d'Aix-en-Provence]] || CD: [[EMI]]<br>Cat: EMI Pathé Marconi CMS 7 69861-2
|-
| 1989 ||Gilles Ragon,<br>[[Jennifer Smith (soprano)|Jennifer Smith]],<br>[[Guy de Mey]],<br>[[Bernard Deletré]],<br>Vincent Le Texier|| [[Marc Minkowski]],<br>[[Les Musiciens du Louvre]] ||CD: WEA International <br>Erato 2292 45028-2
|-
| 2003|| [[Paul Agnew]],<br>[[Mireille Delunsch]],<br>[[Yann Beuron]],<br>[[Laurent Naouri]],<br>Vincent Le Texier || Marc Minkowski,<br>[[Paris Opera]],<br>Orchestra and Chorus of [[Les Musiciens du Louvre]] – Grenoble ||DVD: Kultur<br>Cat: D2919
|}

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite AV media notes|last=Alexandre|first=Ivan A.|type=liner notes|title=Platée|others=conducted by [[Marc Minkowski]]|year=1989}}
* {{cite book|last=Girdlestone|first=Cuthbert|author-link=Cuthbert Girdlestone|title=Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work|location=New York|publisher=Dover Publications|year=1969|isbn=0-486-21416-8}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Holden|editor-first=Amanda|editor-link=Amanda Holden (writer)|title=The New Penguin Opera Guide|location=New York|publisher=Penguin Putnam|year=2001|isbn=0-14-029312-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Mays|first=Desirée|chapter=''Platée''|title=Opera Unveiled|volume=9|location=Santa Fe|publisher=Art Forms Inc.|year=2007|isbn=978-0-9707822-6-7}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal|last=Rice|first=Paul F.|title=Review: ''Platée: Ballet bouffon en un prologue et trois actes'', edited by [[M. Elizabeth C. Bartlet]], ''Opera omnia Rameu'', series 4, vol. 10|journal=[[ Journal of the American Musicological Society]]|volume=60|number=3|date=Fall 2007|pages=661–666|doi=10.1525/jams.2007.60.3.661|jstor=10.1525/jams.2007.60.3.661|ref=none}}
*Sadler, Graham, et al., ''The New Grove French Baroque Masters: Lully, Charpentier, Lalande, Couperin, Rameau'', Scranton, Pennsylvania: Norton & Co, 1986 {{ISBN|0-393-30352-7}}

==External links==
*[https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/rameau-plat%C3%A9e-0 CD Review of Minkowski's 1989/1990 recording] by Nicholas Anderson, ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]''
*[http://www.musicalpointers.co.uk/reviews/cddvd/rameauplatee.htm DVD review of Minkowski's 2002/2003 recording]
*[http://jp.rameau.free.fr/platee.htm Libretto], jp.rameau.free.fr (in French)
*[https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6233206m/f4.image.r=Plat%C3%A9e.langFR Libretto (1745)], [[Gallica]] (in French)]
*[http://spikesworld.spike-jamie.com/opera/PLATEE.pdf Plot summary], spikesworld.spike-jamie.com
*{{Allmusic|class=composition|id=mc0002374127|author=John Palmer|title=Jean-Philippe Rameau: ''Platée ou Junon jalouse'', opera}}
*{{IMSLP|work=Platée, RCT 53 (Rameau, Jean-Philippe)|cname=''Platée'', RCT 53}}

{{Jean-Philippe Rameau|state=collapsed}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Platee}}
[[Category:Operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau]]
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[[Category:French-language operas]]
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[[Category:Operas based on classical mythology]]