opera notebook
some operas I have seen on videoJean-Philippe Rameau, Hippolyte et Aricie (1733)
libretto by Simon-Joseph Pellegrin
Glyndebourne Festival Opera, 2013
- Conductor: William Christie
- Director: Jonathan Kent
- Set Designer: Paul Brown
- Phèdre: Sarah Connolly
- Aricie: Christiane Karg
- Hippolyte: Ed Lyon
This rare British production of Hippolyte et Aricie begins with Diana and Amor in debate from opposite sides of a gigantic refrigerator (the freezer compartment and the egg tray; see above). Then dancers remove giant stalks of broccoli from the fridge to create a sylvan setting; and then things start to get much stranger. But the music is beautiful and well-sung by a cast of stars.