Cycle
Massenet, a must!

Grisélidis

A conte lyrique in three acts and a prologue, first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 20 November 1901. Based on Grisélidis, a play by Armand Silvestre and Eugène Morand.
Concert Opera
Inspired by a twelfth-century legend, adapted in 1891 for the Comédie-Française by Armand Silvestre and Eugène Morand, Grisélidis tells the story of Grisélidis, the loyal wife of the Marquis de Saluce, who has gone off to wage war in the Holy Land. Although the Devil puts her loyalty to the test, causing her former lover, Alain, to appear to her, the virtuous wife does not yield to temptation, drawing strength from her role as a devoted mother. Massenet’s opera, written for the Opéra-Comique in Paris, was completed in 1894 but, since he was busy working on Cendrillon and Sapho at that time, it did not reach the stage until 1901. However, audiences were rewarded for their long wait with a splendid performance, ingeniously staged by Albert Carré. The composer deftly handles the juxtaposition of religious, lyrical and comic registers.

Dates

Fri 2 June 2023
20.00
Opéra Berlioz, Montpellier

Performers

ORCHESTRE ET CHŒUR DE L’OPÉRA NATIONAL MONTPELLIER OCCITANIE
Jean-Marie Zeitouni conductor

Grisélidis Vannina Santoni
Alain Julien Dran
Le Marquis Thomas Dolié
Le Diable Tassis Christoyannis
Fiamina Antoinette Dennefeld
Bertrade Adèle Charvet
Gondebaud Adrien Fournaison
Le Prieur Thibault de Damas
Concert performance
Co-production Théâtre des Champs-Élysées / Opera Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie / Palazzetto Bru Zane
Score published by Heugel
Recording for the ‘French opera’ series – Bru Zane Label
Bru Zane Mediabase
Digital resources for French Romantic music
The website hosts articles on people, works and topics authored by musicologists and historians collaborating with Palazzetto Bru Zane.