Le Temple de la Gloire just had its modern-day première in Berkeley. Sort of. Rameau’s (and Voltaire’s) opéra-ballet has a confusing history. The work is similar to Rameau’s better-known Les Indes galantes, in that it’s a series of scenes (with both singing and dancing) united by a theme rather than a single plot. But where Les Indes galantes was about love among savages, Le Temple de la Gloire is about ruling well. Gods and kings seek entry into the eponymous Temple of Glory, but only the worthiest is admitted.
King Louis XV, for whom the opera was written, did not appreciate the lecture. A new version – more romantic and less critical of kings – was quickly created. That 1746 edition survived, but the original 1745 score has only recently been reconstructed from an outline in Berkeley’s archives. Hence the modern première, a massive undertaking co-produced by Cal Performances, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, and Centre de musique baroque de Versailles. The result is a truly kingly entertainment.
Catherine Turocy, artistic director of the New York Baroque Dance Company, choreographed both the blocking and the dancing with great beauty and attention to period detail. The performers held studiously asymmetrical poses and formed charming stage pictures. The choreography included humor as well as displays of athleticism and grace. A comedic danced staff fight (by Brynt Beitman and Olsi Gjeci) was a highlight, as was a delightful tambourine dance (by Carly Fox Horton).
Marie Anne Chiment’s exquisite costumes added to the spectacle. Apollo was radiant in golden armor; Glory sparkled in a silver 18th-century robe de cour. The nine Muses signaled their respective identities with appropriate props. The colorful silks and large turban of Bacchus and Érigone perfectly conveyed their languid decadence. Their pet ostrich (danced by Meggi Sweeney Smith) was a particularly funny touch. Scott Blake’s sets completed the period look of the production, with rows of painted legs creating depth. Projected backdrops had the hand-painted aesthetic of a Baroque set, but showed burning fire and moving clouds as well as stationary hills and temples.
A cast of Baroque specialists offered an abundance of vocal riches. Everyone on the stage could sing with crisp French and turn a perfect trill. It’s an ensemble show, with all the soloists taking on multiple roles across the acts. Marc Labonnette was not always audible in his prologue appearance as Envy, but he showed a big, booming baritone when he returned as a shepherd and a priest. The other baritone, Philippe-Nicolas Martin, displayed nice bluster and a smooth, deep voice as the cruel warrior-king Bélus. The three sopranos were excellent and blessedly distinct: Camille Ortiz-Lafont wowed with her agile trills and runs; Gabrielle Philiponet with her tragic poses and cutting voice; and Chantal Santon-Jeffrey with her wide range, from a gravelly bottom to a crystal-clear top. Haute-contres are always a treat, and they didn’t disappoint here, either. Artavazd Sargsyan had amazing falsetto top notes as the pleasure-seeking Bacchus, and Aaron Sheehan put his vocal flexibility and honeyed tone to good use as the god Apollo and the magnanimous king Trajan.