''Julien, ou La vie du poète'' (''Julien, or The Poet's Life'') is a ''poème lyrique'', or

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, by composer

Gustave Charpentier Gustave Charpentier (; 25 June 1860 – 18 February 1956) was a French composer, best known for his opera ''Louise (opera), Louise''.Langham Smith R., "Gustave Charpentier", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 19 ...

. The work is devised in a prologue and four acts and uses a French

libretto 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 theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by the composer. ''Julien'' is a sequel to Charpentier's '' Louise'' (1900) and describes the artistic aspirations of Louise's suitor Julien. The opera premiered in Paris at the

Salle Favart The Salle Favart (), officially the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique (), is a Paris opera house and theatre, the current home of the Opéra-Comique. It was built from 1893 to 1898 in a neo-Baroque style to the designs of the French architect Louis ...

on 4 June 1913.

Background and performance history

Like that of ''Louise'', the plot of ''Julien'' is semi-autobiographical and requires many characters and chorus roles; in ''Julien'', the female lead portrays four smaller characters in addition to the role of Louise. The opera integrates elements of an earlier composition, ''La vie du poète'', a symphony-drama of 1888–1889. The chorus consists largely of ''filles du rêve'' ("girls of the dream"),

fairies A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

, and chimeras as well as various men's roles, mainly different kinds of working class men. Charpentier stated that, except in the prologue, "Louise and the various characters who surround Julien are not so much real people as an exteriorized realization of their inner souls". The opera was not well received at its premiere, although it did gain

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

's admiration for its

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

qualities.Richard Langham Smith: "''Julien''", ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed February 19, 2009) Apart from two productions in 1914, one of which was at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

in New York City with

Geraldine Farrar Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing Dramatic soprano, dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." In the 191 ...

and

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...

in the main roles, it had not been revived until 3 December 2000, when it had its German premiere. That production, at the

Theater Dortmund Theater Dortmund is a theatrical organization that produces operas, Musical theatre, musicals, ballets, plays, and concerts in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded as the Stadttheater Dortmund in 1904. Supported by the German Government, the organiz ...

, was directed by John Dew and conducted by

Axel Kober Axel Kober (born 10 February 1970) is a German conductor. Since 2009 he has been the music director of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. Kober was born in Kronach and studied conducting under Peter Falk and Günther Wich at the Hochschule für Musik W ...

. There are no full-length recordings of the opera. However, Julien's aria "La voix de la nuit", sung by Maurice Dutreix, appears as the final track on the 1935 abridged recording of ''Louise'' (re-released in 2003 on

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

).''Louise'', recording (abridged)

Roles

Synopsis

:Time: 19th century :Place: Initially in Rome; then several others Prologue ''Enthousiasme ("Filled with enthusiasm")'' Julien, as a

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

winner, is studying in Rome at the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic ...

. This resembles the life of Charpentier as he too was a Prix de Rome winner. However, after this point, the opera moves from the real world into the imagination until the final

tableau Tableau (French for 'little table' literally, also used to mean 'picture'; : tableaux or, rarely, tableaus) may refer to: Arts * ''Tableau'', a series of four paintings by Piet Mondrian titled '' Tableau I'' through to ''Tableau IV'' * '' Tableau ...

, set in

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

, returns the plot to reality. Act 1 ''Au pays du rêve ("In dreamland")'' It contains three settings: the Holy Mountain, followed by a setting in the Accursed Valley, and lastly the Temple of Beauty. Act 2 This takes place in the Slovakian countryside and follows Julien as he experiences doubts in creating his artwork. Act 3 ''Impuissance ("Impotence")'' This is located in Brittany's wild countryside. Act 4 ''Ivresse ("Intoxication")'' Set in Montmartre, it closes in the

Place Blanche The Place Blanche () in Paris, France, is one of the small plazas along the Boulevard de Clichy, which runs between the 9th and 18th arrondissements (Parisian districts) and leads into Montmartre. It is near Pigalle. The famous cabaret Moulin ...

with the sudden appearance of the Temple of Beauty.

References

External links

*
Complete piano/vocal score
published in 1913 by M. Eschig (on

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...

) * {{Authority control French-language operas Operas by Gustave Charpentier 1913 operas Operas Operas set in France Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique Sequels