Opera Lafayette is an opera company based in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, that produces

French opera French opera is one of Europe's most important operatic traditions, containing works by composers of the stature of Rameau, Berlioz, Gounod, Bizet, Massenet, Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc and Messiaen. Many foreign-born composers have played a part in ...

s from the 17th and 18th centuries. It was founded in 1995 by

Ryan Brown Ryan Brown may refer to: Musicians * Ryan Brown (conductor) (born 1958), American conductor of Opera Lafayette * Ryan Brown, American rock musician, member of Papa Roach * Ryan Brown (born 1986), American musician, one of piano playing siblings The ...

and splits its season between Washington and New York City.

History

Specializing in French

Baroque opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

, Opera Lafayette was founded in Washington's

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

neighborhood in 1994 by

as the Violins of Lafayette, named after the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...

. It adopted its current name during 2001 and, in 2005, released its first recording on the

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ...

label,

Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...

's ''

Orphée et Euridice ' (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the ''azione teatrale'', meaning an ...

''. In 2012, Opera Lafayette staged its first international performance,

Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny ( – ) was a French composer and a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts (1813). He is considered alongside André Grétry and François-André Danican Philidor to have been the founder of a new musical ge ...

's ''

Le roi et le fermier ''Le roi et le fermier'' is a 1762 opéra-comique in 3 acts by Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny to a libretto by Michel-Jean Sedaine.Otto Jahn - 2013 Life of Mozart: - Volume 2 -p12 Sedaine was so interested in Monsigny that he intrusted all his opera ...

'' (''The King and the Farmer''); this "forgotten" Monsigny work was performed at the

Royal Opera of Versailles The Royal Opera of Versailles () is the main theatre and opera house of the Palace of Versailles. Designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, it is also known as the Théâtre Gabriel. The interior decoration by Augustin Pajou is constructed almost entirely ...

using recently discovered backdrops from a 1780 staging of the opera. An ensemble from the company performed aboard the French frigate ''Hermione'', a replica of the 32-gun ''Concorde'' class frigate that once ferried the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States, during its 2015 visit to

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

. According to the ''New York Times'', Opera Lafayette has "won consistent praise and loyal audiences for its historically informed productions of French Baroque operas using period instruments, appropriate costumes and elegant dancing". The paper has further described it as "a skillful purveyor of French Baroque operas", while ''DC Theatre Scene'' has said the company "should be considered a national treasure".

Organization

As of 2019, the opera's conductor and artistic director is Ryan Brown, Diana Hossack is the executive director, and Nizam Kettaneh and Dorsey C. Dunn are the co-chairs of the company's board of directors. The concertmaster of Opera Lafayette's orchestra is Claire Jolivet. The company performs a split season with performances in Washington at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, and in New York at

Frederick P. Rose Hall Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orches ...

Discography

Opera Lafayette has released eleven recordings, all on the Naxos label: # ''

'' by

(2005) # '' Oedipe à Colone'' by

Antonio Sacchini Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini (14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Sacchini was born in Florence, but raised in Naples, where he received his musical education. He made a name for hi ...

(2006) # ''Rameau Operatic Arias'' sung by

Jean-Paul Fouchécourt 2015 Jean-Paul Fouchécourt is a French tenor, mostly as an opera singer. He was born on 30 August 1958 at Blanzy in the Burgundy region. He is best known for singing French Baroque music, especially the parts called in French ''haute-contre'', ...

(2007) # '' Armide'' by

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas ...

(2008) # '' Zélindor, roi des Sylphes'' by

François Rebel François Rebel (19 June 17017 November 1775) was a French composer of the Baroque era. Born in Paris, the son of the leading composer Jean-Féry Rebel, he was a child prodigy who became a violinist in the orchestra of the Paris Opera at the age ...

and ''Le Trophée'' by

François Francoeur François Francœur (8 September 1698 – 5 August 1787) was a French composer and violinist. Biography François Francœur was born in Paris, the son of Joseph Francœur, a basse de violon player and member of the '' 24 violons du roy''. Franc� ...

(2009) # '' Le déserteur'' by

(2010) # '' Sancho Pança'' by

François-André Danican Philidor François-André Danican Philidor (7 September 1726 – 31 August 1795), often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, eac ...

(2011) # ''

Le magnifique ''Le Magnifique'' (literally ''The Magnificent''; also known as The Man from Acapulco) is a French/Italian international co-production released in 1973, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jacqueline Bisset and Vittorio Caprioli that was directed by Phil ...

'' by

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 ...

(2012) # ''

'' by Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny (2013) # ''

Lalla-Roukh ''Lalla-Roukh'' is an ''opéra comique'' in two acts composed by Félicien David. The libretto by Michel Carré and Hippolyte Lucas was based on Thomas Moore's 1817 narrative poem ''Lalla Rookh''. It was first performed on 12 May 1862 by the Op ...

'' by

Félicien David Félicien-César David (13 April 1810 – 29 August 1876) was a French composer. Biography Félicien David was born in Cadenet, and began to study music at the age of five under his father, whose death when the boy was six left him an impoverish ...

(2014) # '' Les femmes vengées'' by François-André Danican Philidor (2015) Selections from the above recordings are included in the two CDs accompanying a Naxos book, ''A–Z of Opera, 2nd Edition''.

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1994 Music companies based in Washington, D.C.

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757 ...

1994 establishments in Washington, D.C. Performing arts in Washington, D.C.