“A nymph reigning over a watery empire” or an “absurd Naiad”? Who exactly is Rameau’s strange creature sung by a countertenor and who shatters the conventions of opera?

The ugly and conceited frog Platée is the victim of a machination of the gods who make her believe that she is loved by Jupiter.

In this opera, composed to mark the marriage of the Dauphin Louis, son of Louis XV, to the notoriously unbecoming Princess Maria Teresa of Spain, Jean‑Philippe Rameau turns irony into the principal weapon of his score.

This cruel yet moving farce is presented in a delightfully whimsical production by Laurent Pelly.

Orchestre des Musiciens du Louvre
The Paris Opera Chorus

A coproduction by the Paris Opera and Telmondis, with the participation of France Télévisions and Mezzo
With the support of the CNC and the Fondation Orange, Sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual and digital projects, and Paprec, sponsor of Platée's broadcast.

Director: François-René Martin
© Opéra national de Paris - Telmondis - 2022
Picture: © Elisa Haberer / OnP