Paris National Opera: Jean-Philippe Rameau's Castor and Pollux

"Castor and Pollux", the opera created by Jean-Philippe Rameau in 1737 and inspired by the mythological story of the Gemini, is rarely staged in its original version. However, this piece, which met the audience at the Paris National Opera, is not the version that Rameau himself revised in 1754, but the original version of the first. The opera begins with the famous lament known as "Tristes apprêts", sung by Télaïre upon the death of her fiancé Castor who died in the war. Then, Castor's twin brother Pollux descends to the underworld to plead with their father Jupiter to bring Castor back to life. This work, while celebrating the love between brothers, raises an important question in the eyes of director Peter Sellars: How can we stop a war and its byproducts such as theft and hatred?

The dramatic narrative and mythological elements in the work attract great attention from the audience.

The opera was staged at the famous National Opera building in Paris, the capital of France.