Castor et Pollux was the brilliant success of the Paris Opera in 1754. Its success followed heated debate over the future of the French opera, debate which Rameau had initiated with his production of Hippolyte et Aricie. Although Rameau wrote in the traditional forms handed down by Lully, he was seen as too revolutionary and as a betrayer of French tastes. Rameau's operas are traditional tragédies-lyriques in the style of Lully. They contain a prologue and five acts, and a grand divertissement in each act. Rameau uses ballet, shimmering homophonic choruses, dei ex machina, and mythological and magical characters. But Rameau's harmonies are much more adventuresome than Lully's and show Italian influences. Rameau is an original and creative orchestrator; traces of Vivaldi can be heard in portions of Castor and Pollux, and his winds are given special prominence. His characters are deeply drawn and dramatically riveting. The emotions they feel are not godlike, but extremely human. After Hippolyte et Aricie, the Lullistes and the Ramistes began a heated debate over the merits of traditional French music, and the new style of Rameau. Jean-Jacques Rousseau joined the fray, and may have helped Rameau's cause, for he denigrated French music at the expense of Italian to such a degree that Rameau was begun to be seen as a champion of French tastes. When Castor et Pollux premiered, it was acclaimed a masterpiece by all.

Among Rameau's contributions to the genre of tragédies-lyriques were his inclusion of large orchestral numbers, and his treatment of the orchestra generally. In the orchestral accompaniments to his vocal music, he composes descriptive music, or music that greatly enhances the mood, ambience, and even the locale of the scene. In Act Five of Castor et Pollux, the wind whips up a storm, and the strings are heard playing furioso storm music that takes the form of Vivaldiesque tremolandi. The chords in the wind instruments add to the stormy feel of the scene. As Jupiter descends and the storm abates, bassoons are heard piercing through the orchestra texture. Rameau is known to have written especially well for the bassoon, and to have expanded its range.

In keeping with French operatic tastes, Rameau writes no da capo arias in Castor et Pollux. Instead, the arias flow in and out of the dramatic recitative. There are several numbers that come close to the Italian conception of an aria. "Ariette," in Act Five, is in the da capo form, and written as part of a divertissement to be sung by one of the planets.

The libretto of Castor et Pollux was written by P.J. Gentil-Bernard, an author who enjoyed the distinction of being admired by Voltaire. He altered the original story slightly. In the original, Castor and Pollux are both the sons of Leda and Zeus, and are, therefore, both immortal. In Gentil-Bernard's version, Castor's father is a mortal, and only because of Castor's selfless love for his brother does Zeus make him immortal as well. In mythology, Castor et Pollux were made the morning and evening stars, and thus were a guide to sailors, as well as symbols of courage.

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