Matthew Locke's semi-opera "Psyche " / More info

Italy and France may be considered the great opera makers of the 17th century, but the most unusual music theater works of the time may have originated in England. Matthew Locke, for example, boldly experimented with new aesthetic paths and daring harmonies that were perceived by his contemporaries as being as dissonant as his life: In times of the strictest Puritanism, Locke converted to Catholicism, and when the theaters were to be closed, he demonstratively composed theater music. His semi-opera Psyche (1675) is also characterized by this urge to disobey, in which he masterfully interweaves spoken dialogues with arias and dance music. Actors and singers stand side by side on an equal footing. The king's daughter Psyche is so unearthly beautiful that even Cupid, the god of love, woos her and makes her his lover. However, in order to preserve his incognito, he never shows himself in daylight - and Psyche begins to wonder who she has fallen into an affair with.

Concert performance in English with German surtitles

Introduction to the work 30 minutes before the start of the performance

Ensemble Correspondances

Lucile RichardotChief Priest

Tristan HambletonPan

Élodie FonnardVenus

Etienne BazolaVulcan

ManagementSébastien Daucé

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