About the work
Anacréon is a one-act acte de ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau to a libretto by Pierre-Joseph Bernard, inserted as a new third entrée into the revival of Rameau's ballet Les surprises de l'Amour. It premiered on 31 May 1757 at the Paris Opéra; Rameau had already written a different opera of the same title in 1754, to an unrelated libretto by Cahusac.
Plot
The poet Anacreon praises wine and is confronted by the maenads of Bacchus for also celebrating love. Cupid intervenes and resolves the dispute between wine and love in love's favor, which is festively reconciled with wine in the end.
Cultural significance
Because the original prologue of Les surprises de l'Amour, written to mark the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, felt dated by 1757, Rameau replaced it with this new piece, which has since usually been performed on its own.