''Ascanio'' is a

grand opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and orchestras, and (in their original productions) lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on o ...

in five acts and seven

tableaux The International Conference on Automated Reasoning with Analytic Tableaux and Related Methods (TABLEAUX) is an annual international academic conference that deals with all aspects of automated reasoning with analytic tableaux. Periodically, it joi ...

by composer

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

. The opera's French

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") 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 the t ...

, by

Louis Gallet Louis Gallet (14 February 1835 in Valence, Drôme – 16 October 1898) was a French writer of operatic libretti, plays, romances, memoirs, pamphlets, and innumerable articles, who is remembered above all for his adaptations of fiction —and ...

, is based on the 1852 play ''Benvenuto Cellini'' by French playwright

Paul Meurice Paul Meurice (5 February 1818 - 11 December 1905) was a French novelist and playwright best known for his friendship with Victor Hugo. Biography Meurice was born and died in Paris. In 1836, aged eighteen, he was introduced to Hugo by his frie ...

which was in turn based on the 1843

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where ''Suffix (name)#Generational titles, '' is French language, French for 'father', to distinguish him from ...

. The name was changed to ''Ascanio'' to avoid confusion with the Berlioz opera ''

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

''. The opera premiered on March 21, 1890, at the Académie Nationale de Musique in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, in costumes designed by Charles Bianchini and sets by

Jean-Baptiste Lavastre Jean-Baptiste Lavastre (24 August 1839 – 24 April 1891) was a French landscape painter and scenic designer. Biography A student of Édouard Desplechin as soon as 1854 when he was only fifteen (and then his associate from 1864 to 1870), Jea ...

and

Eugène Carpezat Eugène Louis Carpezat (Paris, 4 November 1833 – Paris, 26 February 1912) was an acclaimed French scenographer in the Belle Époque. Career Carpezat was the son of lemonade makers Claude François Carpezat and Jacqueline Caniou. After conside ...

(acts I; II, scene 2; and III),

Auguste Alfred Rubé Auguste Alfred Rubé (20 June 1817 – 13 April 1899) was a French painter. Biography Born in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, Rubé was an innovator in the field of theatrical set design. This "decorator of rare ingenuity", focused on a local ...

and

Philippe Chaperon Philippe Chaperon (2 February 1823 – 21 December 1906) was a French painter and scenic designer, particularly known for his work at the Paris Opera. He produced stage designs for the premieres of numerous 19th-century operas, including Verdi's ...

and Marcel Jambon (act II, scene 1).

Composition history

''Ascanio'' was composed by Saint-Saëns during 1887–1888. Saint-Saëns chose the subject of the historical figure of

largely due to his friendship with Meurice who, in addition to writing the play about Cellini, also helped Dumas write the 1843 novel. The subject also appealed to Saint-Saëns' long-term desire to base his operas in French history. The opera's libretto largely follows Meurice's play, although it does not include a scene where Cellini runs out of metal while casting a statue. The only notable departure from the play is the third act which is set at a

fête In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Village fêtes Village f� ...

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

. The music for this act includes a lengthy

divertissement ''Divertissement'' (from the French 'diversion' or 'amusement') is used, in a similar sense to the Italian 'divertimento', for a light piece of music for a small group of players, however the French term has additional meanings. During the 17th and ...

of 12 dances which is highly reminiscent of French Baroque opera. Saint-Saëns dedicated the finished opera to

Pauline Viardot Pauline Viardot (; 18 July 1821 – 18 May 1910) was a nineteenth-century French mezzo-soprano, pedagogue and composer of Spanish descent. Born Michelle Ferdinande Pauline García, her name appears in various forms. When it is not simply "Pauli ...

, the French

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

.Studd, (1999) The opera premiered at the

Palais Garnier The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from ...

in Paris in 1890 to a poor reception.

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

, after attending the premiere, remarked "I need not waste my words on the music of it. There is not an original phrase in it from beginning to end." The work did not see a revival until 1921, the year of Saint-Saëns' death; however, a section of the ballet music is a popular excerpt for flute players.

Synopsis

:Place: Paris :Time: 1539 This opera concerns the historical figure of 16th-century Italian

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

during the time he spent at the court of

François I Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

and Paris. Cellini and apprentice Ascanio are both madly in love with Colombe, daughter of the Provost of Paris. This arouses the jealousies of two women: Scozzone, who herself is in love with Cellini, and the Duchess who is an admirer of Ascanio. Cellini steps aside to let Ascanio pursue Colombe, but when he realises that the jealousy of the two spurned women may prove dangerous to the girl, he hides her in a

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

he has designed for a local convent, and plans on having her taken there for safety. However, the Duchess uncovers this plan and has the reliquary diverted to her own estate, planning on letting the girl suffocate in it. However, Scozzone secretly took the place of Colombe when she regretted having been originally a part of the Duchess's plot. Meanwhile, Cellini has asked the King to allow the wedding of Ascanio and Colombe as a reward for his latest artistic masterpiece. The King has agreed. This happy news, however, is overshadowed by the sad discovery that Scozzone has suffocated and died in Colombe's place.

Roles

Recordings

* Saint-Saëns: ''Ascanio'' - ''La Chanson de Scozzone'', aria on recital by

Régine Crespin Régine Crespin (23 February 1927 – 5 July 2007) was a French singer who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto soprano ...

with

Alain Lombard Alain Lombard (born 4 October 1940, Paris) is a French conductor. Career Lombard attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where his studied violin with Line Talleul and conducting with Gaston Poulet. He subsequently secured an appointment at the Op� ...

& L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande * Saint-Saëns: ''Ascanio'' - (complete) Jean-Francois Lapointe, Bernard Richter, Eve-Maud Hubeaux, Jean Teitgen,

Karina Gauvin Karina Gauvin is a Canadian soprano who has made several recordings and is especially recognised for her interpretation of Baroque music. ''Opera News'' stated that, "Gauvin knows how to rivet an audience in opera and concert. She has been a queen ...

, Clemence Tilquin. Chœur et Orchestre de la Haute École de Musique de Genève, Chœur du Grand Théâtre de Genève. Guillaume Tourniaire. B Records 2018Forum Opera - Laurent Bury 20 Novembre 2017
Ascanio, un dernier Saint-Saëns pour la route
" Bernard Richter dans le rôle-titre, Jean-François Lapointe en Cellini, Jean Teitgen en François Ier, et du côté des dames, Karina Gauvin en duchesse d’Etampes et Eve-Maud Hubeaux dans le rôle de Scozzone"

References

Notes Sources *Dubal, David (2001). ''The Essential Canon of Classical Music''. North Point Press. *Studd, Stephen (1999). ''Saint-Saëns: a Critical Biography''. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.

External links

*
Ascanio
visual documentation of the premiere o
Gallica
{{authority control Operas by Camille Saint-Saëns Operas 1890 operas French-language operas Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera Operas set in France Operas based on novels Operas based on plays Operas based on works by Alexandre Dumas Operas based on real people Cultural depictions of Francis I of France Cultural depictions of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Cultural depictions of Benvenuto Cellini