Entitled “The Geniuses or the Characters of Love,” this heroic ballet is presented in the traditional form of a prologue and four acts, illustrating the general theme of love. Following the structure of French tragedy, this work features emblematic characters from opera librettos: Zoroastre, Love, Léandre, Lucile, Zaïde, Zamire, but also fairy-like characters such as geniuses, an Indian, sylphs, silfs, and nymphs, and it incorporates various tropes of baroque opera: invocation scenes, sleep scenes, magical characters, lovers, and love quarrels. Naturally, one thinks of Rameau, who had just presented “Hippolyte et Aricie” in 1733 (his first opera, but he was fifty years old!), then triumphed with “Les Indes galantes” (1735), but it is also the twilight time for Campra and Monteclair…

Never recreated, this opera-ballet defends an original repertoire carried by a female composer, Mademoiselle Duval, who succeeded after four decades the first French opera written by a woman: “Céphale et Procris” (1694). The Geniuses are mentioned in Le Mercure galant, which gave a flattering account of the work: “The Geniuses, Ballet performed on Thursday, October 18, 1736. The poem is by Mr. Fleury, and the music by Mademoiselle Duval, a young person of many talents, as one can easily see from this work, which is very varied and extremely well crafted in many respects. The recitative in general was highly applauded, well-treated scenes, well-made and lively violin airs…” Then Mademoiselle Duval disappeared forever, perhaps entering the marvelous bottle of one of her geniuses…

This heroic ballet will come back to life under the auspices of another female harpsichordist: Camille Delaforge, at the helm of her Ensemble Il Caravaggio. A musical rendezvous with an unknown!