Grisélidis
| Opera dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Grisélidis |
Poster of the premiere |
|
| Shape: | Opera in three acts and a prologue |
| Original language: | French |
| Music: | Jules Massenet |
| Libretto : | Armand Silvestre and Eugène Morand |
| Literary source: | Le Mystère de Grisélidis |
| Premiere: | November 20, 1901 |
| Place of premiere: | Opéra-Comique |
| Playing time: | about 2 hours |
| Place and time of the action: | in Provence in the 14th century |
| people | |
Grisélidis is an opera in three acts and a prologue by Jules Massenet (music) with a libretto by Armand Silvestre and Eugène Morand based on the stage work Le Mystère de Grisélidis by the same authors, which premiered on May 15, 1891 in the Comédie-Française . This legend was already in the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio included. There are also operas on the same theme by Alessandro Scarlatti ( Griselda ), Antonio Vivaldi ( Griselda ), Tomaso Albinoni and Charles-Joseph van Helmont, as well as the ballet Grisélidis ou les Cinq sens by Philippe Dumanoir with music by Adolphe Adam . Georges Bizet also composed parts of an opera "Grisélidis", which however was never completed and never performed.
Work history
The premiere of Massenet's Grisélidis took place on November 20, 1901 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris . The opera was performed in some European and North American opera houses at the beginning of the 20th century, but never became part of the usual operatic repertoire. By the end of 1950 the piece had been shown 73 times at the Opéra-Comique. The German premiere took place in Lübeck in 2006 . Occasionally the work is performed at opera festivals, for example in 1982 at the Wexford Festival Opera or in 1992 at the Massenet Festival in St. Etienne (concert version).
action
prolog
The shepherd Alain sings of his love for the shepherdess Grisélidis. When the Marquis de Saluces, who is currently on the hunt, happens to see Grisélidis, he is fascinated by her beauty and asks her to marry him. She accepts the proposal and thus plunges Alain into deep despair.
first act
Four years later, Grisélidis lives in a palace with the Marquis and their son Loys. When the Marquis embarks on a crusade, his servants want to take care of Grisélidis and protect her. He rejects this request because he has full confidence in her. The devil overhears this and explains that he and his wife take great pleasure in testing women and cheating on husbands. The Marquis, however, is convinced of his wife's loyalty, accepts the challenge, gives the devil his wedding ring as pledge and says goodbye to his wife and son.
Second act
While Grisélidis thinks sadly of her absent husband, the devil and his wife Fiamina approach Grisélidis disguised as a slave trader and show her the ring to prove that the Marquis has left Grisélidis. To seduce them, the devil conjures up a magical garden and lures Alain there. However, the appearance of Loys causes Grisélidis not to get involved with Alain, but since she is distracted, the devil kidnaps the child.
Third act
While the servants are looking for Loys, the devil, now disguised as an old man, informs Grisélidis that Loys is in the hands of a pirate and that the child will only be released if she gives her a kiss. On his return, the Marquis meets the old man who says the unfaithful Grisélidis wants to meet a pirate on the bank. However, when the marquis sees the ring on the old man's finger, he realizes that he should be the victim of a deception. Husband, wife and son are happily reunited.
Sound carrier (selection)
- 1983: Rosemary Landry (Grisélidis), Sergei Leiferkus (Marquis de Saluces), Günter von Kannen (the devil), Rosanne Creffield (Fiamina) Howard Haskin (Alain); Radio Telefis Eireann Symphony Orchestra, Wexford Festival Chorus; Conductor: Robin Stapleton; MRF Records (MRF-186-S (3))
Individual evidence
Web links
- Grisélidis : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Score (Heugel), Paris 1901. Digitized on bibliotheques-specialisees.paris.fr
- Libretto (Italian), Milan 1902. Digital copy from the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze
- Grisélidis (Jules Massenet) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna
- Discography of Grisélidis at Operadis