About the work
Céphale et Procris, initially billed as a tragédie lyrique, is an opera by André Grétry to a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel, based on the metamorphosis myth of Cephalus and Procris from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It premiered on 30 December 1773 at the Opéra Royal in Versailles to mark the wedding of the Count of Artois.
Plot
Drawing on Ovid, the plot puts the hunter Céphale’s love for his wife Procris to the test through jealousy and a fateful misunderstanding; the subtitle “ou L’amour conjugal” (conjugal love) points to marital fidelity as its central theme.
Cultural significance
Marmontel’s attempt to combine the marvels and dances of tragédie lyrique with Italian-style recitative and ensembles left audiences puzzled, while the choruses and dances were well received. Reworked as a “ballet héroïque,” the piece secured Grétry’s admission to the Académie Royale de Musique in 1775.