Zaïs is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau first performed on 29 February 1748 at the Opéra in Paris. It takes the form of a pastorale héroïque in four acts and a prologue. The librettist was Louis de Cahusac.
The score is particularly remarkable for its overture, which depicts the emergence of the four elements out of chaos. It looks back to Jean-Féry Rebel's ballet Les élemens and forward to Haydn's overture for his oratorio The Creation.
According to the published libretto [1]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Zaïs, Genie of the air | haute-contre | Pierre Jélyotte |
| Zélidie | soprano | Marie Fel |
| Oromasès, King of the Genies | basse-taille (bass-baritone) | M Albert |
| Cindor, a sylph, confidant of Zaïs | basse-taille | François Le Page |
| Une sylphide | soprano | Mlle Rotisset de Romainville |
| Amour (Cupid) | soprano | Mlle Chefdeville |
| Un sylphe | haute-contre | François Poirier |
| La grande prêtresse de l'Amour (High Priestess of Cupid) | soprano | Mlle Rotisset de Romainville |
| Chorus: Génies des Éléments (Genies of the Elements), sylphes et sylphides de la Cour de Zaïs (male and female sylphs of the court of Zaïs), bergers et bergères (shepherds and shepherdesses), chasseurs et chasseresses (hunters and huntresses) | ||
Zaïs, a genie, disguises himself as a shepherd to win the love of a shepherdess, Zélide. After a series of ordeals in which Zaïs shows he is willing to give up his magic powers for his love, Oromases, the king of the genies, grants Zélide immortality so the couple can marry.