“Naïs”, the lavish opera the French composer wrote for the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, is now being published as part of the “Opera omnia Rameau”.

On 18 October 1748 the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed, marking the end of eight years of war during which various European countries had fought over the succession to the Austrian throne (1740–48). The Treaty, instigated by Louis XV of France, was celebrated with festivities throughout the kingdom and in the capital on 12 February 1749. Joseph Guénot de Tréfontaine, the director of the Académie royale de musique (the Opéra de Paris), used these festivities to flatter the triumphant ruler by commissioning a new opera from Cahusac and Rameau based on actual events: this was Naïs, subtitled “Opera for the Peace”.

Cahusac and Rameau wrote the libretto and the music very quickly, probably in less than five weeks. The Paris Opera spared no cost to ensure the success of the work, commissioning the painter Pietro Bonifazio Algieri to paint the scenery. The opera, premiered in the ballroom of the Palais Royal on 22 April 1749 with a star cast, was a huge success. The work was revived in Paris on 7 August 1764 – just a few weeks before Rameau’s death on 12 September – in a revised version by Pierre-Montan Berton, the music director of the Opéra, with new scenery by François Boucher and costumes by Louis-René Boquet.

In his libretto Cahusac was inspired by classical antiquity. The framework plot is based on Neptune's love for Naïs. As often in pastorales, the God transforms himself into a mortal so that he will be loved for his own sake. Throughout the entire opera, the identity of Naïs remains hidden from the man courting her. Although she loves him too, she refuses to admit her feelings to him out of fear of reprisals on the part of Astérion and Télènus who love her jealously and want to marry her. Only the scene with the oracle, whilst Tirésie alludes to the end of the opera, indicates to her that it is Neptune who loves her. She is so afraid for her beloved that she rejects him in a particularly moving scene in order to save him. In numerous arias Rameau offers his singers ample opportunity to shine, whilst revealing his orchestral mastery, particularly in the Chaconne and various other ballets.

The score of Naïs was not published during the composer’s lifetime. The Bibliothèque-Musée de l’Opéra in Paris holds the manuscript conductor’s scores of the 1749 and the 1764 performances. At least ten manuscript copies were prepared for various collections based on these scores, such as for the Bibliothèque royale and that of the Menus-Plaisirs. The first edition of Naïs was only published in 1924 as part of the first Complete Edition of the works of Jean-Philippe Rameau (under the direction of Camille Saint-Saëns); but this does not distinguish between the 1749 and 1764 versions. The critical new edition by Pascal Denécheau is the fruit of a detailed comparison of all the known musical sources. The identification of the various copyists involved in the production and the revisions has made it possible to differentiate between the alterations carried out in 1749 and 1764. This edition thus presents the first version of the 1749 performances for the first time. The passages which Rameau rejected in 1749, and the composer’s alterations for the new production in 1764, are reproduced in the Appendices.

Pascal Denécheau
(from [t]akte 1/2018)