Le domino noir

Le domino noir ("The Black Domino") is an "opéra comique" by the French composer Daniel Auber, first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris on December 2, 1837. The libretto to the three-act piece is by Auber's usual collaborator, Eugène Scribe. It was one of Auber's most successful works, clocking up 1207 performances by 1909. It received its UK premiere in 1838 and appeared in the USA the following year. Some of Auber's music has a Spanish flavour to reflect its setting.

In 1869, Tchaikovsky provided recitatives to replace the spoken dialogue for a proposed production of "Le domino noir" by an Italian opera company visiting Russia. No performances are believed to have taken place, but four of Tchaikovsky's recitatives were included in Richard Bonynge's recording of the opera.

There was a production of the opera by Pierre Jourdan at the Théâtre Imperial at Compiègne in 1995.

Roles

ynopsis

The action takes place in Spain and concerns a young novice nun, Angèle de Olivarès. Enjoying her last freedom before taking final vows, Angèle slips out of the convent along with her companion Brigitte to attend a ball in honour of the Queen of Spain's birthday. To conceal her identity, she wears a black half-mask (the "domino" of the title). A year previously, at the same ball, Angèle had met a young man, Horace de Masserena. Horace has fallen in love with her and returns to the ball in the hope of seeing her again. Instead he meets the unknown woman in the black mask and dances with her. Thinking to help Horace, his friend Count Juliano, sets the clock back an hour causing Angèle to miss leaving at midnight, which would have allowed her to get back to the convent in time before the gates close. Angèle runs off and tries to take shelter for the night in a house she finds on the way. Unfortunately, it turns out to belong to Count Juliano who is holding a late-night party for his friends. Angèle persuades the housekeeper to disguise her as her niece from the country. She manages to fool everyone except, of course, Horace who recognises her from the ball a year ago. He does not tell anyone else but locks Angèle in a room where he hopes to keep her until she gives him an explanation. But Angèle is inadvertently freed by the housekeeper's lover, the drunken Gil Perez, who opens the door and runs off, having mistaken her for a demon in her mask and cloak. Angèle manages to reach the convent and slip in undiscovered. However, that very morning a new abbess, Ursule, has been installed. Ursule is jealous of Angèle and orders her to leave the convent and find a husband. By coincidence, Horace turns up at the convent and joyfully takes the opportunity to ask Angèle to be his wife. Brigitte marries Count Juliano.

elected recordings

*"Le domino noir" Sumi Jo, Bruce Ford, Isabelle Vernet, Jules Bastin, London Voices, English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Richard Bonynge (Decca, 1995)

ources

*Booklet to the Bonynge recording.
*"The Viking Opera Guide" ed. Holden (1993)

External links

* [http://www.karadar.com/Librettos/auber_domino.html Libretto at Karadar]