About the work
Zoroastre is a tragédie lyrique by Jean-Philippe Rameau to a libretto by the freemason Louis de Cahusac. Its premiere on 5 December 1749 at the Paris Opéra had only modest success, partly because the work initially lacked a love story; a thoroughly revised version, first performed on 20 January 1756, proved far more successful and was still on the bill for the opening of the new Paris opera house in 1770.
Plot
The noble fire-priest Zoroastre fights the dark magician Abramane for power and faith in Bactria. In the revised version he is additionally drawn into a love triangle between the jealous princess Érenice and the devoted Amélite, with whom he is finally united.
Cultural significance
Cahusac drew on Persian fire and light worship to allude to Masonic ideals of enlightenment and initiation; after roughly 200 years off the stage, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants brought the work back into the repertoire.