About the work
Tragédie lyrique in three acts by Luigi Cherubini, with a libretto adapted by Jean-François Marmontel from Pietro Metastasio's much-set "Demofoonte". It premiered on 2 December 1788 at the Paris Opéra – Cherubini's debut on the leading Parisian stage.
Plot
According to legend, King Demofoonte must sacrifice a virgin every year. His supposed son Timante is secretly married to Dircea; in the end it emerges that Timante is not the king's true heir but was swapped with another child at birth.
Cultural significance
Despite an overture later regarded as a mature symphonic achievement by the then 28-year-old composer, one that left its mark on Beethoven, the work failed to win over the Parisian public and received only a handful of performances; the reasons for its lukewarm reception went unrecorded.