Le Roi et le batelier: Difference between revisions
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==Synopsis== |
==Synopsis== |
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The opera is set in 1594 in Paris. Henri IV seeks to capture Paris by peaceful means. In disguise as a Parisian soldier, he gets the oarsman Claude to ferry him across the Seine. Pretending to smuggle supplies into the besieged city, the 'soldier' leads a convoy which in fact contains his army; Paris is thus taken peacefully and the citizens rejoice at the success of the King. |
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==Sources== |
==Sources== |
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Revision as of 18:13, 5 March 2012
Template:Halévy operasLe Roi et le batelier (The King and the oarsman) is a one-act opéra comique by Fromental Halévy and Victor Rifaut, to a libretto by Saint-Georges. It was first performed on 8 November 1827 at the Opéra Comique in Paris.
Background
Le Roi et le batelier was the second of Halévy's operatic works to receive public performance. The music was written in collaboration with Victor Rifaut, who had won the Prix de Rome in 1821, two years after Halévy himself. The premiere took place on the birthday of King Charles X, and some flattering comparison of the King to the opera's hero Henri IV was obviously intended. The opera had thirteen performances, and has apparently never been revived.
Synopsis
The opera is set in 1594 in Paris. Henri IV seeks to capture Paris by peaceful means. In disguise as a Parisian soldier, he gets the oarsman Claude to ferry him across the Seine. Pretending to smuggle supplies into the besieged city, the 'soldier' leads a convoy which in fact contains his army; Paris is thus taken peacefully and the citizens rejoice at the success of the King.
Sources
- Jordan, Ruth (1994). Fromental Halévy: His Life and Music. London: Kahn and Averill ISBN 9781871082517 (p. 29)