description Lully - Armide, LWV 71 Overview
Armide, LWV 71 is a tragédie en musique by Jean-Baptiste Lully, with a French libretto by Philippe Quinault, first performed in 1686. Drawn from Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered, it centers on the sorceress Armide, who intends to kill the crusader Renaud but falls in love with him and uses enchantment to retain him. The opera combines dance, chorus, orchestral writing, and speech-shaped recitative, and is a central work for audiences exploring French Baroque opera.
help Lully - Armide, LWV 71 FAQ
Why can Armide not kill Renaud when she finds him asleep?
Armide approaches the sleeping crusader intending revenge, but her hatred turns into love before she can strike. Her conflicted Act II monologue is one of the opera's most celebrated pieces of dramatic recitative.
Who wrote the libretto for Lully's Armide?
Philippe Quinault wrote the French libretto, drawing on the Armida and Rinaldo episode from Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered. It was the last completed opera collaboration between Quinault and Jean-Baptiste Lully.
What kind of opera is Armide?
Armide is a five-act tragédie en musique with a prologue, the courtly French form developed by Lully and Quinault. Dance, chorus, recitative and instrumental spectacle carry as much dramatic weight as solo arias.
What happens when Armide summons Hatred?
She calls upon La Haine to remove her love for Renaud, but stops the ritual before it is completed. Hatred leaves after warning that Armide will regret choosing love over vengeance.
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