Alceste

Alceste was mounted initially at the Palais-Royal on 19 January 1674, and it has the distinction of being the first work to have its premiere in this theatre under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Music. Philippe Quinault did the libretto, and Lully wrote its score. Alceste was the second composition by these collaborators; its origin in Greek tragedy underlines Lully’s intent to develop the new genre designated as “lyric tragedy”. Like Pomone, Alceste is endowed with a prologue set in the…