Jean-Baptiste Lully: Persée

Composed by Jean Baptiste Lully for Louis XIV, Persée is widely recognized as Lully's greatest creation and was considered the crowning achievement of 17th century French music theatre. Filled with dancing, fight scenes, monsters and special effects, this truly spectacular opera recounts the thrilling story of Perseus, son of Zeus and heroic vanquisher of the snake-haired Gorgon Medusa. More than half a century after it's premiere, Persée was chosen by Louis XV to open the new Royal Opera House at the Chateau de Versailles, in celebration of the wedding of Marie Antoinette and the future Louis XVI. Designers Gerard Gauci (sets), Dora Rust-D'Eye (costumes) and Kevin Fraser (lighting) have created a dazzling spectacle of gods and goddesses, flying machines and sea monsters inspired by designs from the original 17th century production. "It's 200 years or so since audiences have seen a full production of Lully's opera Persée, and the Opera Atelier production demonstrates that the wait was too long." theatre reviews