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.

Roles

• Cindor, tenor
• L'Amour, soprano
• Oromasès, tenor
• Priestess, soprano
• A sylphe, tenor
• Zaïs, tenor
• Zélide, soprano

Synopsis

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.

Selected recording

• La Petite Bande, Gustav Leonhardt (3 CDs, Stil, 1975), (Zaïs) John Elwes, (Zélidie) Marjanne Kweksilber, (Oromasès) Max van Egmont, (Cindor) David Thomas, (Une Sylphide la Grande Prêtresse de l'Amour) Mieke van der Sluis, (L'Amour) Jane Marsch, (Un Sylphe) René Jacobs

Sources

• Girdlestone, Cuthbert, Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work, New York: Dover, 1969 (paperback edition)
• Holden, Amanda, ed., The Viking Opera Guide, New York:Viking, 1993
• Sadler, Sadler, ed., The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan, 1988