vindictive in character, and the expressiveness of the music, which betrays Myrthis's profoundly tender feelings for Nélée. A dramatic disjunction of this sort would have aroused the interest of Gluck, Mozart and especially of Wagner." Nélée and Corinne are less substantial roles, although Cuthbert Girdlestone praises Nélée's aria "Un amant rebuté". Roles Synopsis The athlete Nélée is about to celebrate his triumph in the Argive Games. He has long been in love with the female poet Myrthis but finally announces he is tired of her indifference (Air: "Un amant rebuté"). As victor in the games, his reward is the chance to ask for anything he desires. Myrthis believes Nélée will choose her (Air: "Jouissons de la liberté") but he tells her he has a new love, Corinne. Myrthis, who has secretly been in love with Nélée all along, is now wracked with jealousy (Air: "Malgré le penchant le plus tendre"). Nélée looks forward to his triumph (Air: "Théâtre des honneurs"). In her role as poet Myrthis is forced to lead the victory celebrations (Air and chorus: "Muses, filles du ciel"). She asks Nélée to make his choice and, to her surprise, he names her; he was merely pretending to love Corinne to punish Myrthis for her pride. The opera ends in celebration (Chorus: "Amour, sois le prix de la gloire"). Recordings Nélée et Myrthis (together with Pigmalion) Jérôme Correas (Nélée), Agnès Mellon (Myrthis), Françoise Semellaz (Corinne), Donatienne Michel-Dansac and Caroline Pelon (Deux Argiennes), Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (Harmonia Mundi, 1992) References Sources Bouissou, Sylvie Jean-Philippe Rameau: Musicien des lumières (Fayard, 2014) Bouissou, Sylvie: Booklet notes to the Christie recording (1992) Girdlestone, Cuthbert, Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work (Dover, 1969) Holden, Amanda (ed.) The Viking Opera Guide (Viking, 1993) Sadler, Graham The Rameau Compendium (Boydell, 2014) Operas Operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau French-language operas One-act operas 18th-century operas Ballets by Jean-Philippe Rameau Operas based on classical mythology