Thomas: Psyche

Ambroise Thomas’ opera „Psyché“ premiered on January 26, 1857, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris and tells the tragic love story of Eros and Psyche, who are manipulated by the cynical Mercury and envied by Daphne and Bérénice, the heroine’s sisters. The style of the work represents the non plus ultra of French opéra-comique in the mid-19th century, particularly through the Italian-influenced style of Rossini. This allows the singers of the two lead roles – one of which, Eros, is a trouser role for a mezzo-soprano – to shine in passionate love duets with impressive cascades of coloratura. Librettists Jules Barbier and Michel Carré created an inspired mixture of comedy and tragedy by contrasting the noble lovers with a quartet of cruel and grotesque characters (Psyche’s sisters and their admirers). Ambroise Thomas’ music not only foreshadows the later successes of Mignon and Hamlet – it is their equal and belongs to the pinnacle of his operatic output.