''Pierre le Grand'' (''Peter the Great'') 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 ...

'' 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 ...

. The libretto, by

Jean-Nicolas Bouilly Jean-Nicolas Bouilly (24 January 1763 – 14 April 1842) was a French playwright, Libretto, librettist, Children's literature, children's writer, and politician of the French Revolution. He is best known for writing a libretto, supposedly based ...

, is based on the early life of the Russian tsar

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

. It was first performed in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on January 13, 1790, with

Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre (18 June 1755 – 22 September 1821), also known as Madame Dugazon, was a French operatic mezzo-soprano, actress and dancer. Born in Berlin as the daughter of a dancing master at the court of Frederick II of Prussia, she ...

, known as Madame Dugazon, as Catherine.

Roles

Synopsis

The plot tells how the young Tsar Peter disguised himself as a carpenter to work in a Russian shipyard where he fell in love with and married a peasant girl, Catherine (later the Empress Catherine I). Bouilly was working on his play at the time the French Revolution was breaking out in 1789 and the work reflects the political events of the day. Tsar Peter is intended to symbolise

King Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir-apparent of King Louis XV), and Mari ...

, Catherine is

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

and the Swiss Le Fort alludes to the

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

n financier

Jacques Necker Jacques Necker (; 30 September 1732 – 9 April 1804) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan banker and statesman who served as List of Finance Ministers of France, finance minister for Louis XVI of France, Louis XVI. He was a reformer, but his innov ...

, who had attempted to reform the French economy. Peter and Catherine are depicted as ideal figures, deeply concerned for the welfare of the common people, and the liberal Bouilly clearly hoped the French king and queen would follow their example.

Recordings

*''(La jeunesse de) Pierre le Grand'' — Christophe Einhorn, Anne-Sophie Schmidt, Philippe Le Chevalier, Namur Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Olivier Opdebeeck (CD on Cascavelle or DVD on Disques DOM, 2001, live in Compiègne) *''Pierre le Grand'' — Maxim Mironov, Elena Voznessenskaya, Nikolai Galin, Chorus and Orchestra of

Helikon Opera Helikon Opera is a Russian opera company based in Moscow, specializing in unconventional productions. Their main performing base is the 250 seat Mayakovsky Theater, the former ballroom in the palace of the Shakhovskoi-Glebov-Streshneva family who ...

, conducted by Sergey Stadler (DVD on Arthaus, 101 097, shot in Moscow in 2002)

References

;Notes ;Sources * Campardon, Émile (ed), ''Les Comédiens du roi de la troupe italienne pendant les deux derniers siècles: documents inédits recueillis aux Archives Nationales'', Paris, Berger-Levrault, 1880 (accessible for free online at ''Internet Archive''
Volume I (A-L)Volume II (M-Z)
* Original libretto: ''Pierre le Grand, Comédie en Quatre Actes, Et en Prose, melée de Chants'', Tours, Legier, 1790 (accessible online as
Google ebook-gratis
. * * Kehrmann, Boris: Booklet notes to the DVD recording. {{authority control Opéras comiques French-language operas Operas by André Grétry Operas 1790 operas Operas set in the 18th century Operas set in Russia Cultural depictions of Peter the Great