Les Indes Galantes at Wichita State University - Miller Concert Hall, Duerksen Fine Arts Center

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2. Les Indes Galantes

In 1775, three Native American chiefs visited Paris, performing their songs and dances for the court of Louis XV. Inspired by the spectacle, Rameau began work on an opera-ballet depicting amorous interactions between French and Spanish colonials and native populations. The resulting piece, Les Indes Galantes, is an entertaining combination of storytelling in both dance and song (in Rameau’s day, anyone not European was an “indian”). Four short stories illustrate romantic encounters in Persia, Peru, Turkey and Illinois. Les Indes Galantes was one of the most popular works in the opera-ballets genres, with frequent revival during the 18th century. Recently William Christie, the noted early music conductor, has championed the piece.