- Messidor (opera)
-
Alfred Bruneau 
Operas- L'attaque du moulin (1893)
- Messidor (1897)
Messidor is a four-act operatic drame lyrique by Alfred Bruneau to a French libretto by Emile Zola. The opera premiered on February 19, 1897 in Paris. The opera takes its name from the tenth month of the French Republican Calendar.[1]
Although initially successful, the popularity of Messidor was adversely affected by the Dreyfus Affair which was occurring at the time of the opera's premiere. Because both Bruneau and his good friend Zola were active supporters of Alfred Dreyfus during his trial for treason, the French public did not welcome the composer's music for several years afterward.[2] The collaborations between Bruneau and Zola, of which Messidor is the most notable, were considered an attempt at a French alternative to the Italian verismo movement in opera.[3]
Contents
Roles
Role Voice type Premiere Cast, February 19, 1897[4] Gaspard bass Jean Noté Guillaume tenor Albert Alvarez Mathias, Guillaume's cousin baritone Jean-François Delmas Véronique, Guillaume's mother contralto Blanche Deschamps-Jéhin Hélène, Gaspard's daughter soprano Lucy Berthet Synopsis
Set in Ariège, a region in the south-west of France, the opera tells the story of a greedy peasant, Gaspard, who has appropriated for himself a gold-bearing stream, which had previously provided income for the entire community. His daughter, Hélène, and Guillaume, a young and virtuous man, fall in love, but Guillaume's mother, Véronique, has accused Gaspard of murdering her husband. Ultimately Gaspard's mining operation fails, and his cousin Mathias is found to be the real murderer.[5]
Vocal Score
The vocal score was published in 1897 and is now available online Messidor, Choudens.
Notes and references
- ^ Smith, Richard Langham: "Messidor (i)", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Retrieved on February 11, 2009), <http://www.grovemusic.com>
- ^ Smith, Richard Langham: "Bruneau, (Louis Charles Bonaventure) Alfred", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Retrieved on February 11, 2009), <http://www.grovemusic.com>
- ^ Smith, Richard Langham: "Zola, Emile", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Retrieved on February 11, 2009), <http://www.grovemusic.com>
- ^ Premiere Cast list of Messidor at amadeusonline.net
- ^ Kelly, Barbara, French music, culture, and national identity, 1870-1939, Boydell & Brewer, 2008, p. 114. ISBN 1580462723
Categories:- Operas
- 1897 operas
- French-language operas
- Operas by Alfred Bruneau
- Operas set in France
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