Rameau in Italian

Speranza

There are some memorable lines in the score to Rameau's "Hippolyte et Aricie" -- notably the sublime chorus in "Hyppolite non est plus". This was well-known in Italian both at the Haymarket (King's Theatre) operatic repertoire, and in some venues in Italy.

While Rameau is credited as the source of FRENCH opera, he was working on an Italian tradition, and it showed, even lyrically.