''Le calife de Bagdad'' (''The Caliph of Baghdad'') is an '' opéra comique'' in one act by the French composer

François-Adrien Boieldieu François-Adrien Boieldieu (, also ) (16 December 1775 – 8 October 1834) was a French composer, mainly of operas, often called "the French Mozart". His date of birth was also cited as December 15 by his biographer and writer Lucien Augé de Lass ...

with a libretto by Claude Godard d'Aucourt de Saint-Just. Dedicated to the landscape painter Bidauld it was first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris, on 16 September 1800 and soon became highly popular throughout Europe. It was Boieldieu's first major triumph. One member of the audience who was less impressed was the noted composer Luigi Cherubini who reproached Boieldieu, "Aren't you ashamed of such a great success, and doing so little to deserve it?" Boieldieu immediately applied to Cherubini for lessons in compositional techniques. ''Le calife de Bagdad'' was part of the vogue for operas on Oriental subjects and the music makes use of local colour, especially the overture with its prominent "eastern"

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

. Késie's

aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

"De tous pays" is a bravura piece which illustrates the musical styles of several European countries, including Spain, Italy, Germany, Scotland and England. ''Le calife de Bagdad'' is believed to have influenced

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas, ...

, particularly his operas ''

Abu Hassan ''Abu Hassan'' ( J. 106) is a comic opera in one act by Carl Maria von Weber to a German libretto by , based on a story in ''One Thousand and One Nights''. It was composed between 11 August 1810 and 12 January 1811 and has set numbers with recita ...

'' and ''

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairi ...

''.

Roles

Synopsis

Isaoun, the

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

, has adopted a disguise so he can roam the streets of the city freely, going under the name "Il Bondocani". Two months before the action begins, he rescued Zétulbé from a band of brigands and Zétulbé has fallen in love with him. But Zétulbé's mother, Lémaïde, is unimpressed by his shabby appearance and refuses to let her marry him. She is amazed when "Il Bondocani" orders his followers to bring in gifts including a casket of jewels. Thinking "Il Bondocani" is a brigand, Lémaïde's neighbour has reported him to the police, who now try to break down the door. After further intrigue, Isaoun finally reveals his true identity to Zétulbé and the two can now be married.

Recordings

* ''Le calife de Bagdad''

Laurence Dale Laurence Dale (born 1957) is an English tenor, artistic director and conductor. Biography Laurence Dale studied singing at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Rudolf Piernay and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Early leading roles inc ...

, Lydia Mayo, Joelle Michelini, Claudine Cheriez, Chorus and Orchestra of the Camerata de Provence, conducted by Antonio de Almeida (Sonpact, 1993) * The overture, a popular concert piece, has been recorded separately many times.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calife de Bagdad, Le Operas by François-Adrien Boïeldieu French-language operas Opéras comiques 1800 operas Operas Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique Operas set in the Middle East Music based on One Thousand and One Nights

Roles

Synopsis

Recordings

References

Further reading

External links