''Haydée, ou Le secret'' 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 Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

'' by the French composer Daniel Auber, first performed by the Théâtre Royal de l'Opéra-Comique at the Salle Favart in Paris on 28 December 1847. The

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 ...

(in three acts) is by Auber's regular collaborator, Eugène Scribe and is based on a short story by Prosper Mérimée, ''La Partie de

trictrac Trictrac is a French board game of skill and chance for two players that is played with dice on a board (game), game board similar, but not identical, to that of backgammon. It was "the classic tables game" of France in the way that backgammon is ...

'' (1830). The opera was performed regularly by the Opéra-Comique up to the end of the 19th century, achieving over 520 performances there.Wolff S. ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique.'' André Bonne, Paris, 1953.

Roles

Synopsis

The story is set during the 16th-century wars between the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and concerns a Venetian admiral, Lorédan, who can never forgive himself for once having cheated at dice. The title character is a

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

slave girl; her name is taken from Haidée, the pirate king's daughter, in

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

's poem '' Don Juan''. Lorédan is the commander of a naval fleet, with a ward named Rafaela, and a slave girl named Haydée, who is deeply in love with him. He has just had Andrea, a naval captain, pledge himself to his service. Lorédan's second-in-command is Malipieri, a spy for the Council of Ten. Malipieri overhears Lorédan talking in his sleep about a great crime in his past: in his youth, he cheated at dice in order to win the fortune of the Venetian senator Donato, who then killed himself. Racked with guilt, he has spent the rest of his life seeking the senator's son, to try and make amends. After Andrea captures a Turkish ship, Malipieri attempts to steal his prize money for having done so, but Lorédan overrules him. Malipieri darkly threatens to expose Lorédan's crime, demanding Haydée's hand in marriage in order to keep silent, and reveals she is really a princess. Haydée, being deeply in love with Lorédan, offers to do this to save him. This proves deeply troubling.... until a messenger reveals that Andrea killed Malipieri in a duel, and that Andrea is the son of Senator Donato. Andrea and Lorédan reconcile, Lorédan marries Haydée; Andrea marries Lorédan's daughter, Rafaela; and Lorédan becomes

Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 a ...

Recordings

* Isabelle Philippe (Haydée);

Bruno Comparetti Bruno Comparetti is a contemporary Franco-Sicilian tenor. He studied singing in Barcelona with the Spanish tenor Eduardo Gimenez who taught him the art of bel canto as well as the singing technique inherited from his friend and teacher, Spanish t ...

(Lorédan Grimani); Paul Medioni (Malipieri); Anne Sophie Schmidt (Rafaela); Mathias Vidal (Andréa Donato); Stéphane Malbec-Garcia (Doménico); Michael Swiereczewski (conductor);

Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne The Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne is a theater in Compiègne, France. Origins The Emperor Napoleon III decided to construct a theater in Compiègne to entertain his court in 1866. He chose the location and the architect of the building, Gabr ...

; Pierre Jourdan (artistic director); André Brasilier (scenery); Jean-Pierre Capeyron (costumes); Thierry Alexandre (lighting). Kultur Video D4244 (Region 1, NTSC, 137 min, 16:9 anamorphic), 2005.

References

Notes Sources *Holden, Amanda (Ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haydee Operas Opéras comiques French-language operas Operas by Daniel Auber 1847 operas Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique Libretti by Eugène Scribe Operas based on works by Prosper Mérimée Operas based on literature Operas set in the 16th century