''Clari'' is an

opera semiseria Opera semiseria ('semi-serious opera') is an Italian genre of opera, popular in the early and middle 19th century. Related to the opera buffa, opera semiseria contains elements of comedy but also of pathos, sometimes with a pastoral setting. It can ...

in three acts by

Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera '' La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

, to an Italian libretto by

Pietro Giannone Pietro Giannone (7 May 1676 – 17 March 1748) was an Italian philosopher, historian and jurist born in Ischitella, in the province of Foggia. He opposed the papal influence in Naples, for which he was excommunicated and imprisoned for twelve ...

. It was first produced at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris on 19 December 1828. ''Clari'' was based on a popular novella, the storyline of which had already been set as an opera by Henry Bishop in London in 1823 (''Clari, or the Maid of Milan'' – it included what came to be Bishop's most famous song, ''

Home! Sweet Home! "Home, Sweet Home" is a song adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne's 1823 opera ''Clari, or the Maid of Milan'', the song's melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by Payne. Bishop had earlier pub ...

''). There had also been a production of the story as ''Clari ou la promesse de mariage'' as a '

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

' in three acts at the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

in 1820, with music by

Rodolphe Kreutzer Rodolphe Kreutzer (15 November 1766 – 6 January 1831) was a French violinist, teacher, conductor, and composer of forty French operas, including '' La mort d'Abel'' (1810). He is probably best known as the dedicatee of Beethoven's Violin S ...

and designs by Cicéri and

Louis Daguerre Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre ( , ; 18 November 1787 – 10 July 1851) was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the eponymous daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photog ...

Composition history

Halévy was ''chef de chant'' (vocal coach) at the Théâtre-Italien when he wrote the opera, his first in the

Italian language Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 m ...

. Clari's entrance aria in Act I, ''Come dolce a me favelli'', had been in fact written by him in Italy some five or six years earlier as a fulfilment of his requirements when he had won the

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 ...

. Although Halévy was able to secure

Maria Malibran Maria Felicia Malibran (24 March 1808 – 23 September 1836) was a Spanish singer who commonly sang both contralto and soprano parts, and was one of the best-known opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran was known for her stormy personality ...

for the title role, the work failed to please the public and was taken off after six performances. Fromental's brother, Ludovic, in his biography of the composer, however refers to Malibran's performance as 'so moving and dramatic'. A few further performances were given, of a revised version, in 1830.

Performance history

The opera was not revived for nearly 180 years when

Cecilia Bartoli Cecilia Bartoli, Cavaliere OMRI (; born 4 June 1966) is an Italian coloratura mezzo-soprano opera singer and recitalist. She is best known for her interpretations of the music of Bellini, Handel, Mozart, Rossini and Vivaldi, as well as for her ...

took the role of Clari in a production given by the Opernhaus Zürich in 2008 in celebration of the centenary of Malibran's birth. Cecilia Bartoli's website biography
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Roles

Synopsis

The ingenuous country-girl Clari attracts the Duke, who installs her in his mansion as his 'cousin'. His intentions however appear to be far from marriage. Realising this, Clari, escapes back to her home, where her father berates her for shaming the family. The Duke however, realising that he truly loves her, pursues her, and all ends happily.

References

Notes Sources * Halévy, Ludovic, ''F. Halévy: Sa vie et ses oeuvres''. Paris: Heugel, 1863 * Hallman, Diana R., 'A young Frenchman tries Italian: Fromental Halévy's ''Clari'',' in DVD recording booklet ''Clari'', Decca, 2008. * Jordan, Ruth, ''Fromental Halévy: His Life and Music''. London: Kahn and Averill, 1994. {{Authority control Operas 1828 operas Operas by Fromental Halévy Opera semiseria Italian-language operas