Ensemble Correspondances / Sébastien Daucé

The love story between the ancient god Cupid and the human princess Psyche does not conform to their social standing: it must overcome many obstacles, the couple goes from heaven to hell and back again to finally receive a blessing from the other gods and goddesses. In typical baroque opera fashion, en route in all kinds of subplots the lovers encounter the entire spectrum of mythical figures – gods, demigods, furies, demons, cyclopes and many more romp about in the five acts of the plot. Matthew Locke and his librettist also added some comedic elements to the French original.

Originally, the flamboyantly instrumented orchestra had to play several dances and interludes by Giovanni Battista Draghi, which have not been passed down. Instead, Sébastien Daucé inserts instrumental movements by Matthew Locke and shortens some of the spoken passages to give greater emphasis to the highly emotional arias. This produces a fascinating, entertaining insight into the origins of English opera, brilliantly played and of timeless beauty.