Amphitryon is an opera written by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name Molière, with the music composed by Grétry. The opera’s premiere was at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris on January 13, 1668. The opera calls for a total of 14 roles: Jupiter, Mercury, Amphitryon, Argatiphontidas, Cleanthis, Naucrates, Polidas, Posicles, Sosie, Blepharo, Alcmena, Bromia, Thessala, and an unspecified actor role utilized for extra roles. This is considered higher than the typical number of roles in an opera, which usually ranges from 7–10. The story of Amphitryon is based on the Roman version of a Greek myth, written by Titus Maccius Plautus. The opera is scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, trumpet, violins, viola, cello, contrabass, piano, timpani, and a vocal ensemble. There are a total of 3 acts and a prologue, with differing acts of the opera consisting of slightly different instrumentation for reasons unknown.
