Lully’s Cadmus et Hermione (1673) inaugurated the era of tragédie lyrique that held sway until the Revolution. The DVD of this first modern-day production is the result of a remarkable collaboration involving the musicians and dancers of Le Poème Harmonique, film-maker Martin Fraudreau, Le Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles (scenery and machines) and the Théâtre National de l’Opéra Comique.

The performances by both singers and dancers are first-rate, thanks in no small part to Vincent Dumestre’s clear and zestful conducting and the responsiveness of the orchestra. André Morsch as Cadmus, Claire Lefilliâtre as Hermione and Arnaud Marzorati as the cowardly confidant Arbas deserve particular praise. All are at ease with the theatrical gestures of the time, and the choreography by Gudrun Skamletz and Anne Tournié is stylish and entertaining.

The costumes are exquisitely crafted and so, too, the masks and the maquillage, bringing to life the images Berain left us. The giant Draco’s dinosaur coat is a triumph, although some of the women’s costumes seem a trifle short for the time (French ladies didn’t show their ankles, much less their knees, on stage before the 18th century).

Other pleasures include the carefully researched scene sets with marvellous machinery (transporting gods and operating monsters) and the striking quality and quantity of light, originally generated by candles and oil lamps. The Prologue, a thinly veiled portrayal of Louis XIV’s military prowess, incorporates thunder, fire, acrobats suspended from ropes and the arrival of a monster from below, and ends with the descent of Apollo. A profusion of gods descend from Parnassus throughout the five-act opera.

Among the musical high-points are the chaconne that ends Act 1; Cadmus’s and Hermione’s farewell in Act 2; the divertissement that ends Act 3; the moment when Cadmus and Hermione are reunited in Act 4, tellingly in a minor key (foreshadowing Hermione’s abduction); and the divertissement that concludes Act 5. Important, too, are the comic scenes with servants in Acts 2 and 3 – a holdover from the comédies-ballet of the previous decade, which Lully avoided in later operas.