Mireille

The libretto of this opera by Charles Gounod is based on the Provençal masterpiece by Frédéric Mistral. The composer wrote his score in a matter of months in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where he immersed himself in the Provençal landscapes, composing as he walked, notebook in hand. Premiered on 19 March 1864 at the Théâtre-Lyrique, the work received mixed reactions from audience and critics alike, but over the decades it established itself as one of the best-known works of Charles Gounod.