Maison à vendre by Dalayrac

Maison à vendre was premiered at the Opéra-Comique (Salle Favart) on 23 October 1800. This small-scale, one-act, work called for only five characters, without a chorus. The vocal parts showcased the company’s star performers, particularly the tenor Huet and the baritone Martin. The former was noted for his flamboyant delivery while the latter paved the way for the high baritones of the Romantic movement. He was at the pinnacle of his vocal abilities when Dalayrac’s opera was premiered. Dalayrac employed restrained orchestral forces which were still classical in many respects. However, the C major overture – a brilliant, acrobatic piece with virtuosic passages of quaver triplets – makes it very obvious that the composer intends to use the full acoustic and virtuoso potential of his orchestra. The arias are outnumbered by the ensembles, which are more dramatic since they follow the course of the action. Duets, trios and quartets are largely written in fast tempi, enabling the score to drive the plot forward apace. In fact, Dalayrac never lost sight of the fact that an opéra-comique was primarily a dramatic work. Performed in Paris and in the provinces for a good few decades, Maison à vendre was given a highly acclaimed revival in 1874, at the Théâtre de la Gaîté, and had no qualms about competing with the new genre of musical comedy as late as 1922, in a renowned production at the Trianon-Lyrique.