''Ludovic'' is an opéra comique in two acts to a French-language libretto by

Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges (7 November 1799 – 23 December 1875) was a French playwright, who was born and died in Paris. He was one of the most prolific librettists of the 19th century, often working in collaboration with others. Sa ...

. The music, by

Ferdinand Hérold Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold (28 January 1791 – 19 January 1833), better known as Ferdinand Hérold (), was a French composer. He was celebrated in his lifetime for his operas, of which he composed more than twenty, but he also wrote ballet mus ...

, was left unfinished at his death, and the work was completed by his deputy at the Opéra-Comique,

Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera ''La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

. Hérold had only written the overture, four numbers and the beginning of the act 1 finale. The plot, elements of which were later reworked by Halévy and Saint-Georges in the opera ''

Le val d'Andorre ''Le val d'Andorre'' (The Valley of Andorra) is an opéra comique by Fromental Halévy with a libretto by Saint-Georges. Although today almost completely forgotten, it was one of Halévy's greatest successes, running for 165 performances and resto ...

'' (1847), centres on misplaced alliance, love, forced conscription, flight, pardon, and marriage. Chopin wrote a set of

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individua ...

in B-flat major, ''Variations brillantes'', Op. 12 (1833), on the act 1 aria "Je vends des scapulaires" (I sell scapulars).

Performance history

The opera was premiered by the Paris Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse on 16 May 1833, five months after Hérold's death. It achieved 70 performances by the end of 1834, making it a modest success, which set the foundation for Halévy's career."Jacques Fromental Halévy"
Music of the 19th Century Paris

Roles

Synopsis

:Place: Francesca's farm, the village of Albano, near Rome The main characters are Ludovic, a farmer from Corsica; Francesca, who owns the farm he manages; and her cousin Gregorio. When Francesca is about to marry Gregorio, Ludovic shoots her and is sentenced to death. Francesca recovers and realizes she loves Ludovic.

References

External links

*; {{Authority control 1833 operas French-language operas Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique Operas by Ferdinand Hérold Operas by Fromental Halévy Opéras comiques Operas completed by others Operas set in Italy Operas Unfinished operas

Performance history

Roles

Synopsis

References

Further reading

External links