"Alceste ou Le Triomphe d'Alcide" occupies a key position in the history of the French tragédie en musique. Its extraordinary linguistic and musical qualities testify to this. Through his personal commitment, Louis XIV, who is present in two characters in the opera, as Apollo and as Alcide, pushed the work and thus the Tragédie en musique through against influential opposition. He had recognized the importance the genre held for his charisma in France and his international prestige. With the evaluation of all sources, including the recent discovery of the Alceste copy from Lully's private library - the last hand version! - the historical-critical edition succeeds in reconstructing a previously unattained complexity of musical design in the score. With the incomparable wealth of chants and instrumental movements in Alceste ou Le Triomphe d'Alcide, Lully shows himself at the height of his creative powers in this multifaceted drama.
