Mercury Baroque and guest director Pascal Rambert present Armide, an opera of 17th-century mind games, May 15-16 May 15, 2009

Worlds collide as French stage director Pascal Rambert joins Mercury Baroque to revive Jean-Baptiste Lully’s opera Armide for its Houston debut May 15 and May 16, 2009 at 8 p.m., at the Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater. A pre-concert lecture will be given at 7:15 p.m.

Armide, which some consider Lully’s finest work, first premiered at the Paris Opéra February 15, 1686. The opera was based on a popular epic poem brought to life by Lully and French dramatist and librettist Philippe Quinault. Unlike most of their operas, Armide is particularly compelling because it focuses on the emotional struggles of a single character, the sorceress Armide. Originally set in Damascus, Armide falls in love with the French Crusader and valiant hero Renaud, her sworn enemy. She casts a love spell on him, leaving him powerless. But the spell backfires, as love spells tend to do.

For the Houston premiere of Armide, Mercury Baroque has enlisted French director and multi-disciplinary artist Pascal Rambert. Rambert is known for his striking stage pictures and original choreography. With his unique vision, Rambert will bring Lully’s masterpiece into a contemporary context.

Tickets for Armide are $20 - $52. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.mercurybaroque.org or call the ticketing line at 832-251-0706. Mercury Baroque will perform a concert version Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at The University of Houston, Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, Texas 77058. For tickets to Sunday’s performance, call 281-283-2560.

For more information about events and performances in Houston, visit www.ltbaehr.com.