Hippolyte et Aricie

Hippolyte et Aricie
Opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau
Portrait of Jean-Philippe Rameau by Joseph Aved in 1728
LibrettistSimon-Joseph Pellegrin
LanguageFrench
Based onPhèdre
by Racine
Premiere
1 October 1733 (1733-10-01)

Hippolyte et Aricie (Hippolytus and Aricia) was the first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau. It was premiered to great controversy by the Académie Royale de Musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris on October 1, 1733. The French libretto, by Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, is based on Racine's tragedy Phèdre. The opera takes the traditional form of a tragédie en musique with an allegorical prologue followed by five acts. Early audiences found little else conventional about the work.