''Jean de Paris'' is an

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

in two acts by French composer

François-Adrien Boieldieu François-Adrien Boieldieu (, also ) (16 December 1775 – 8 October 1834) was a French composer, mainly of operas, often called "the French Mozart".. Although his reputation is largely based upon his operas, Boieldieu composed other works and amo ...

and

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, 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 ...

Claude Godard d'Aucourt de Saint-Just.

History

The work had its premiere on 4 April 1812 at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

in Paris and was performed there until 1863. The opera was dedicated to the composer

André Grétry André Ernest Modeste Grétry (; baptised 11 February 1741; died 24 September 1813) was a composer from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (present-day Belgium), who worked from 1767 onwards in France and took French nationality. He is most famous ...

. ''Jean de Paris'' was a great success for Boieldieu, who returned to the Parisian opera stage in 1812 with this opera comique after a seven-year stay in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. In the same year as the premiere in Paris, ''Jean de Paris'' was also performed in various German translations in Germany and Austria.

Ignaz Franz Castelli Ignaz Franz Castelli (6 March 1781 – 5 February 1862) was an Austrian dramatist born in Vienna. He studied law at university, and then entered government service. During the Napoleonic invasions his patriotism inspired him to write stirri ...

provided his translation for the

Theater am Kärntnertor or (Duchy of Carinthia, Carinthian Gate Theatre) was a prestigious theatre in Vienna during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its official title was (Imperial and Royal Court Theatre of Vienna). History The theatre was built in 170 ...

(Vienna),

Ignaz von Seyfried Ignaz Xaver Ritter von Seyfried (15 August 1776 – 27 August 1841) was an Austrian musician, conductor and composer. He was born and died in Vienna. According to a statement in his handwritten memoirs he was a pupil of both Wolfgang Amadeus Moz ...

worked for the

Theater an der Wien The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prim ...

and the translation by

Karl Alexander Herklots Karl Alexander Herklots (19 January 1759 - 23 March 1830) was a German lawyer, chiefly remembered since his death as a theatre librettist and translator. Life Karl Alexander Herklots was born in Dulzen, a small village a short distance to the sout ...

was staged in Berlin. This opera – and its subject matter – enjoyed great popularity, so that as early as 1818 a new setting by

Francesco Morlacchi Francesco Giuseppe Baldassare Morlacchi (14 June 1784 – 28 October 1841) was an Italian composer of more than twenty operas. During the many years he spent as the royal Royal Kapellmeister in Dresden, he was instrumental in popularizing the Ita ...

(music) and

Felice Romani Giuseppe Felice Romani (31 January 178828 January 1865) was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist betw ...

(libretto) was performed in Milan. In 1831,

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic music, Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''be ...

composed his '' Gianni di Parigi''. In 1969, Ernst Gärtner, Arthur Scherle and Siegfried Köhler worked out their new version of ''John of Paris''.Jean de Paris
on bruzanemediabase

Plot

Act 1 : ''Square in front of the inn (against a wild mountain backdrop)'' The Princess of Navarre travels to Paris to marry the Dauphin. Deep in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

, an inn is chosen to host the princess and her entourage. Everything is ready and waiting for the guest (chorus "Do not fail, do your duty"). Disguised under the name "Jean of Paris", the Dauphin travels to meet his bride at this very inn. Olivier, Jean's servant, arrives and demands room and board for his master ( terzet "Welcome Mr Innkeeper"). Then the princess's chief seneschal appears and announces her imminent arrival (

aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

"Because we will now have to be obeyed here in the house"). But Jean de Paris, who has arrived together with the princess, insists on having certain privileges as the one who has arrived earlier (quartet: Jean de Paris, Chief Seneschal, Pedrigo, Lorezza "May a man dare such a thing?"). The princess arrives at the inn (aria "What pleasure does travel grant"). She is the only one who recognises her bridegroom in Jean and wants to counter his trickery with another. She therefore kindly accepts his invitation to a joint midday meal. Act 2 : ''Square in front of the inn (later in the day)'' After dinner, the two bridal parties sit together. Olivier sings a romance ("The troubadour, proud of love's bonds") Jean de Paris joins in after the first verse, the Princess after the second. After this song, all those present gather and sing with the chorus ("When castanets sound"). Jean then reveals himself as Dauphin and bridegroom and everyone joins in the final song "Glory to beauty").

Roles

Recording

An October 1966 studio broadcast was issued on CD by Collection Gaieté-Lyrique, with Joseph Peyron in the title role, Denise Boursin as the princess, Monique Stiot as Lorezza, Henri Gui as the seneschal, Gérard Friedmann as Oliver, with Jean-Paul Kréder conducting the Orchestre Lyrique of the ORTF.

References

External links