L'irato
Encyclopedia
L'irato, ou L'emporté is an opéra-comique
(styled an opéra parade) in one act by the French composer Étienne Méhul
with a libretto
by Benoît-Joseph Marsollier. It was first performed at the Théâtre Favart
, Paris on 17 February 1801. Written in a lighter style than Méhul's operas of the 1790s, L'irato is famous for being part of a deception the composer played on his friend Napoleon Bonaparte
.
. Here they probably discussed music. Many biographers have wrongly claimed that Napoleon did not like music. In fact he did, but preferred the Italian operas of composers such as Giovanni Paisiello
and Domenico Cimarosa
. According to the harpist Martin Pierre d'Alvimare, Napoleon criticised Méhul "for emulating in his works an all too Teutonic style, more scientific than pleasing." Méhul decided to try his hand at writing a work in a lighter, more Italianate vein and thus trick Napoleon. On 7 February 1801 the Journal de Paris announced the forthcoming performance of a translation of an Italian piece, L'irato, at the Opéra-Comique. Ten days later, on the day of the premiere, a letter appeared in the Journal claiming to be from a painter who had seen the opera - the work of a young composer called "Signor Fiorelli" - in Naples 15 years before. The letter was probably a fake one from Méhul himself. The opening night, with Napoleon among the audience, was an immense success. The audience demanded to see the author and were very surprised when Méhul appeared on stage to accept their applause. Napoleon took the joke in good part, telling Méhul to "deceive me often like that" ("Trompez-moi souvent ainsi").
L'irato was revived at the Opéra-Comique in 1852 and at the Théâtre-Lyrique in 1868. A performance at the Opéra-Comique on 17 October 1917 marked the centenary of Méhul's death.
Pandolphe is a rich but grumpy old man who becomes angry at the slightest thing. He has threatened to disinherit his young nephew Lysandre. As the opera opens, Lysandre is pacing the garden with his servant Scapin, awaiting a meeting with Pandolphe (Aria for Scapin: Promenerons-nous bien longtemps?). Lysandre is in love with Isabelle, but has not heard from her for a month, and Scapin has likewise lost contact with his beloved, Isabelle's maid Nérine. Nevertheless, the two men swear to be faithful forever (Duet:Jurons! Jurons de les aimer toujours!). Lysandre is enraged at Pandolphe's plans to marry Isabelle to Balouard, his pedantic and ridiculous former tutor. Scapin vows to do everything he can to help his master (Aria: Mais que dis-je?), but he runs off when Pandolphe emerges from the house in a foul temper (Aria for Pandolphe: Ah, les maudites gens!). Pandolphe tells Lysandre he intends to cut him out of his will and throw him out of the house as Lysandre's studied composure irritates him. Lysandre still refuses to become angry. Once Pandolphe has left, Scapin re-enters bringing Isabelle and Nérine with him. Lysandre tells Isabelle of his uncle's plan to marry her off to Balouard. Isabelle is horrified but Scapin says he has a plot to make Pandolphe angry with Balouard (Quartet: O ciel, que faire?). Isabelle hopes that by pretending to be vain and fickle she will put Balouard off (Aria: J'ai de la raison). Pandolphe introduces Isabelle to Balouard. Isabelle hints she already has a lover, which makes Balouard decline the marriage offer, much to Pandolphe's chagrin. Lysandre, who does not yet know the good news, is in a desperate state (Couplets: Si je perdais mon Isabelle). Scapin encourages Lysandre to drown his sorrows with the equally sad Balouard and the three sing in praise of wine and woman (Trio: Femme jolie et du bon vin). As Balouard becomes ever more drunk, the chorus mock him by comparing him to the god Mars (Chorus: Qu'il est joli, qu'il est charmant). Isabelle and Nérine escape from the house in which Pandolphe has locked them up. The old man surprises them as Lysandre is declaring his love for Isabelle and vows he will never let them marry. But he finally yields to the pleas of Lysandre, Isabelle, Scapin and Nerine and gives his blessing to the wedding (Finale: Ah, mon cher oncle).
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
(styled an opéra parade) in one act by the French composer Étienne Méhul
Étienne Méhul
Etienne Nicolas Méhul was a French composer, "the most important opera composer in France during the Revolution." He was also the first composer to be called a "Romantic".-Life:...
with a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Benoît-Joseph Marsollier. It was first performed at the Théâtre Favart
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
, Paris on 17 February 1801. Written in a lighter style than Méhul's operas of the 1790s, L'irato is famous for being part of a deception the composer played on his friend Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
.
Background and performance history
Méhul had been introduced to Napoleon by his wife Josephine and attended weekly meetings with the future emperor at his residence at MalmaisonMalmaison
Malmaison may be:* Château de Malmaison, Rueil-Malmaison, France* Greenwood LeFlore's home, Greenwood, Mississippi, USA* Malmaison, a UK hotel chain....
. Here they probably discussed music. Many biographers have wrongly claimed that Napoleon did not like music. In fact he did, but preferred the Italian operas of composers such as Giovanni Paisiello
Giovanni Paisiello
Giovanni Paisiello was an Italian composer of the Classical era.-Life:Paisiello was born at Taranto and educated by the Jesuits there. He became known for his beautiful singing voice and in 1754 was sent to the Conservatorio di S. Onofrio at Naples, where he studied under Francesco Durante, and...
and Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...
. According to the harpist Martin Pierre d'Alvimare, Napoleon criticised Méhul "for emulating in his works an all too Teutonic style, more scientific than pleasing." Méhul decided to try his hand at writing a work in a lighter, more Italianate vein and thus trick Napoleon. On 7 February 1801 the Journal de Paris announced the forthcoming performance of a translation of an Italian piece, L'irato, at the Opéra-Comique. Ten days later, on the day of the premiere, a letter appeared in the Journal claiming to be from a painter who had seen the opera - the work of a young composer called "Signor Fiorelli" - in Naples 15 years before. The letter was probably a fake one from Méhul himself. The opening night, with Napoleon among the audience, was an immense success. The audience demanded to see the author and were very surprised when Méhul appeared on stage to accept their applause. Napoleon took the joke in good part, telling Méhul to "deceive me often like that" ("Trompez-moi souvent ainsi").
L'irato was revived at the Opéra-Comique in 1852 and at the Théâtre-Lyrique in 1868. A performance at the Opéra-Comique on 17 October 1917 marked the centenary of Méhul's death.
Roles
| Cast | Voice type | Premiere, 17 February 1801 |
|---|---|---|
| Pandolphe, a bad-tempered old man | bass | |
| Lysandre, Pandolphe's nephew | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Jean Elleviou Jean Elleviou Jean Elleviou was a French operatic tenor, one of the most celebrated French singers of his time.Born Pierre-Jean-Baptiste-François Elleviou, he made his debut at the Comédie-Italienne in Paris in 1790, as a baritone in the role of Alexis in Monsigny's Le déserteur, and the following year as a... |
| Scapin, Lysandre's servant | bass | |
| Isabelle, the niece of Pandolphe's dead wife | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Nérine, Isabelle's maid | soprano | |
| Balouard, Lysandre's former tutor | tenor |
Synopsis
- Scene: The garden of Pandolphe's country house near FlorenceFlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
Pandolphe is a rich but grumpy old man who becomes angry at the slightest thing. He has threatened to disinherit his young nephew Lysandre. As the opera opens, Lysandre is pacing the garden with his servant Scapin, awaiting a meeting with Pandolphe (Aria for Scapin: Promenerons-nous bien longtemps?). Lysandre is in love with Isabelle, but has not heard from her for a month, and Scapin has likewise lost contact with his beloved, Isabelle's maid Nérine. Nevertheless, the two men swear to be faithful forever (Duet:Jurons! Jurons de les aimer toujours!). Lysandre is enraged at Pandolphe's plans to marry Isabelle to Balouard, his pedantic and ridiculous former tutor. Scapin vows to do everything he can to help his master (Aria: Mais que dis-je?), but he runs off when Pandolphe emerges from the house in a foul temper (Aria for Pandolphe: Ah, les maudites gens!). Pandolphe tells Lysandre he intends to cut him out of his will and throw him out of the house as Lysandre's studied composure irritates him. Lysandre still refuses to become angry. Once Pandolphe has left, Scapin re-enters bringing Isabelle and Nérine with him. Lysandre tells Isabelle of his uncle's plan to marry her off to Balouard. Isabelle is horrified but Scapin says he has a plot to make Pandolphe angry with Balouard (Quartet: O ciel, que faire?). Isabelle hopes that by pretending to be vain and fickle she will put Balouard off (Aria: J'ai de la raison). Pandolphe introduces Isabelle to Balouard. Isabelle hints she already has a lover, which makes Balouard decline the marriage offer, much to Pandolphe's chagrin. Lysandre, who does not yet know the good news, is in a desperate state (Couplets: Si je perdais mon Isabelle). Scapin encourages Lysandre to drown his sorrows with the equally sad Balouard and the three sing in praise of wine and woman (Trio: Femme jolie et du bon vin). As Balouard becomes ever more drunk, the chorus mock him by comparing him to the god Mars (Chorus: Qu'il est joli, qu'il est charmant). Isabelle and Nérine escape from the house in which Pandolphe has locked them up. The old man surprises them as Lysandre is declaring his love for Isabelle and vows he will never let them marry. But he finally yields to the pleas of Lysandre, Isabelle, Scapin and Nerine and gives his blessing to the wedding (Finale: Ah, mon cher oncle).
Recording
- L'irato, Miljenko Turk (Scapin), Cyril Auvity (Lysandre), Pauline Courtin (Isabelle), Alain Buet (Pandolphe), Svenja Hempel (Nérine), Georg Poplutz (Balouard), Bonner Kammerchor, L'Arte del Mondo, conducted by Werner Ehrhardt (Capriccio, 2006)
Sources
- Adélaïde de Place Étienne Nicolas Méhul (Bleu Nuit Éditeur, 2005)
- Booklet notes to the Capriccio recording by Michael Stegemann
- Elizabeth Bartlet, entry on Méhul in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
- Hector Berlioz, Evenings with the Orchestra, translated by Jacques BarzunJacques BarzunJacques Martin Barzun is a French-born American historian of ideas and culture. He has written on a wide range of topics, but is perhaps best known as a philosopher of education, his Teacher in America being a strong influence on post-WWII training of schoolteachers in the United...
(University of Chicago Press, 1973; 1999 reprint)