Les Fêtes Vénitiennes

Prologue
The Triumph of Folly over Reason during Carnival
Venice. Carnival appears and invites the crowd to join him for the festivities. Folly joins him with her retinue of Pleasures and supports his ambition to amuse and entertain. But a killjoy arrives: Reason. Assisted by wise Democritus and Heraclitus, she attempts to disenchant the crowd and warns everybody against the aberrations of Carnival. In vain: she must leave Venice, letting Folly and Carnival lead the festivities.

The Ball
Prince Alamir courts Iphise without revealing his identity. To test the girl’s sincerity, he swaps his clothes with his servant Themir. A music master and a dancing master, both French, have been asked to organize the sumptuous ball given by the prince in the evening. Each master endeavors to show he is the best and that his art prevails over the other. Themir, disguised as a prince, is to follow his efforts while Alamir, dressed up as a servant, puts Iphise to the test by trying to convince her to accept the love of “Prince” Themir. Iphise is confused and her despair brings about the revelation: Alamir, delighted to be loved for himself and not for his rank, proves to be the actual patron of the festivity. Charmed by the stratagem, Iphise reaffirms her love for Alamir. Both the prince and his new princess can partake in the ball light-heartedly. Intermission

Serenades and Gamblers
One evening two anxious and jealous girls meet in a Venetian square: Isabelle and Lucile have come to catch their unfaithful lover, each one believing that her lover deceives her with the other. It is indeed one and the same man, Léandre, but the two rivals find out that a third girl is involved. They hesitate to unite for revenge, each one thinking that the other wants to keep Léandre. The gallant is coming with a troupe of musicians and plays a serenade under the balcony of the one he hopes to conquer, Irène. From her window, she responds with an Italian tune in which she calls him a fickle butterfly and spurns him. But Léandre, seeing a woman approach in the dark, believes that Irène came down to join him. He assures her that neither Lucile nor Isabelle have ever charmed him. But it turns out that he actually spoke to the two girls who eventually reject him forever. He comes to terms with it and rejoins a troupe of gamblers who celebrate the power of Fortune: she exhibits the influence of her fickleness on gambling and love alike.

The Opera
In a theater where an opera is to be performed, a new actor enters: this is of Boreas, who hopes to approach Léontine, a singer he adores. Adolphe, a singer himself and Damire’s friend, tries to divert the knight from his venture to no avail. Damire is determined to abduct she who is to perform the part of Flore this evening before his rival Rodolphe, who is to attend the performance, abducts her. It turns out that Léontine is really in love with Damire. Tired of pretending, she wishes to be sincere despite the admonitions of her colleague Lucie who appreciates the duplicity of their situation. The singing master arrives to make Léontine rehearse her part. But he also loves her and shows his jealousy of Rodolphe, who is waiting for Léontine backstage. The performance begins with Rodolphe in attendance: it is a pastoral featuring shepherds and shepherdesses with Zéphire and Flore, the latter played by Léontine. The entertainment is interrupted by the untimely arrival of the god of wind Boreas, who abducts Flore with the help of the north winds. While Zéphire mourns over Flore’s disappearance, Lucie declares that the performance cannot go on since Léontine has truly been abducted, not by Boreas but by he who was acting him: Damire! Rodolphe, furious of having been abused, can only leave the theater and run to the port as the two lovers are about to leave Venice.

Epilogue
The carnival ends and life is back to normal again… or so it seems!