The plot of Hippolyte et Aricie is inspired by the work of Racine and Euripides. At the heart of the libretto, with its mix of tumultuous feelings, divine interventions and sea monsters, is an impossible love story: that of Prince Hippolyte and the aristocratic prisoner, Aricie. The relationship will provoke the despair of Phaedra – mother-in-law to Hippolyte and with whom she is secretly in love – followed by the fury of Theseus, her husband. Consequently, the young lovers will have to deal with many a twist and turn before their love is rewarded.
For this production at the Opéra Comique, the title roles are sung by tenor Reinoud van Mechelen and soprano Elsa Benoit. In a staging by Jeanne Candel and Lionel Gonzalez, the couple are joined by Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo, Séraphine Cotrez, Arnaud Richard, Eugénie Lefebvre and Lea Desandre. From the orchestra pit, the inimitable Raphael Pichon conducts the Pygmalion choir and orchestra.
Performance recorded on 14 November 2020 at the Opéra Comique in Paris.
