Jean-Baptiste Lully

Michel, an insignificant man who drifts into crime, is arrested and imprisoned. Upon release, he abandons an attempt at reform when a master pickpocket teaches him his art.

Jean-Baptiste Lully's Atys, a tragédie en musique, became known as the 'king's opera' due to Louis XIV's fondness for it. The work stands as a testament to the Sun King's courtly refinement, as well as his moves to make France the centre of European artistic culture. The opera's themes of romantic dilemmas and ultimate tragedy, set amidst the poetic atmosphere of Ovid's classical mythology, create the perfect vehicle for a narrative filled with dramatic...