Adolphe Adam 1850 - Charles Vogt - Gallica

''Le postillon de Lonjumeau'' (''The

Postillion A postilion or postillion is a person who guides a horse-drawn coach or post chaise while mounted on the horse or one of a pair of horses. By contrast, a coachman controls the horses from the vehicle itself. Originally the English name for a g ...

of Lonjumeau'') is an

opéra-comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

in three acts by

Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and '' Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas ''Le pos ...

to a 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 ...

Adolphe de Leuven Adolphe de Leuven (30 September 1802 – 14 April 1884) was a French theatre director and a librettist. Also known as Grenvallet, and Count Adolph Ribbing. He was the illegitimate son of Adolph Ribbing, who was involved in the assassination of G ...

and

Léon Lévy Brunswick Léon Lévy Brunswick (20 April 1805, in Paris – 29 July 1859, in Le Havre) was a French playwright. He started as a journalist before turning to theater. He is the author of many comedies with Jean-François Bayard, Louis-Émile Vanderburc ...

. The opera has become the most successful of Adam's works, and the one by which (apart from his ballet ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

'' and his

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...

''Cantique de Noël'') he is best known outside his native France. The opera is known for the difficult aria "

Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire "Mes amis, écoutez l'histoire", is a tenor aria in Adolphe Adam's 1836 opera ''Le postillon de Lonjumeau''. The D5 in the final verse is the highest commonly sung note for tenors in opera. Donizetti wrote an E5 for Edgardo in the first act of his ...

" which has been called a test for

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

s because of the demanding high D, or D5, at the end of the aria.

Performance history

The opera was premiered by the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

at the

Salle de la Bourse The Salle de la Bourse was a Parisian theatre located on the rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement, across from the Paris Bourse, hence the name. It was successively the home of the Théâtre des Nouveautés (1827–1832), the Opéra-Comique (1 ...

in Paris on 13 October 1836. Performances followed at the

St James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham; it lost money and after three seasons he retired. A succ ...

, London on 13 March 1837, and in New Orleans at the

Théâtre d'Orléans The Théâtre d'Orléans (English: Orleans Theatre) was the most important opera house in New Orleans in the first half of the 19th century. The company performed in French and gave the American premieres of many French operas. It was located o ...

on 19 April 1838. Recent productions have been mounted in the Berlin

Staatsoper Unter den Linden The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

(from 4 August 2000) and at the Grand Théâtre, Dijon, (from 30 March 2004 under

Philippe Cambreling Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count ...

, with

Isabelle Poulenard Isabelle Poulenard (born 5 July 1961) is French contemporary soprano. Poulenard was born in Paris. Her work has generally been focused on music of the French Baroque, however, she has performed and recorded George Frideric Handel and Georg P ...

(Madeleine / Madame de Latour). The latter was a co-production of Opéra Paris-Sud and

Opéra de Dijon The Opéra de Dijon is an opera company and arts organization in Dijon, France. It administers both the Grand Théâtre de Dijon and the Auditorium de Dijon which are its main performance venues. In addition to operas, the organization also stages ...

. The work was performed in Paris for the first time in 125 years in a new production at the Opèra Comique in March 2019 with

Michael Spyres Michael Spyres is an American operatic baritenor. He is particularly associated with the bel canto repertoire, especially the works of Rossini, and heroic roles in French grand opera. Biography Michael Spyres was born in 1979 in Missouri, US, and ...

in the title role, in a production by

Michel Fau Michel Fau (born 1964) is a French comedian, actor and theatre director. Personal life At 18, he left his hometown for training at French National Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1986 to 1989. He trained with Michel Bouquet, Gerard Desarthe and ...

. Sébastien Rouland conducted, with Florie Valiquette as Madeleine.Nicolas Blanmont. Report from Paris. ''

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

'', July 2019, Vol. 70, No. 7, pp. 838–839.

Roles

Synopsis

''Act 1'' Chapelou, the just-wedded

postillion A postilion or postillion is a person who guides a horse-drawn coach or post chaise while mounted on the horse or one of a pair of horses. By contrast, a coachman controls the horses from the vehicle itself. Originally the English name for a g ...

, or horse-backed coach-guider (cf. coach-mounted

coachman A coachman is an employee who drives a coach or carriage, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of passengers. A coachman has also been called a coachee, coachy, whip, or hackman. The coachman's first concern is to remain in full c ...

), and his innkeeper wife Madeleine decide to consult a

clairvoyant Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...

to ensure that their marriage will be joyous. The latter foresees however that it will not go smoothly without indicating exactly what will occur when. At first alarmed, the couple soon banish anxiety in order to enjoy their wedding night. Days into the marriage the Marquis de Corcy, who is director of the

Paris Opera 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 ...

, arrives at the couple's inn and is immediately smitten by Madeleine, but doesn't say anything to her. Later he overhears Chapelou singing his usual song with other guests and is impressed by his voice. He decides to invite the young postillion to join the opera company, but they must leave immediately. Excitedly Chapelou asks his friend Biju to tell Madeleine where he has gone and why. Then he and the Marquis depart leaving Madeleine in shock. ''Act 2'' Ten years later. Madeleine has come into an inheritance and is known as Madame Latour; Chapelou is an opera star. One evening the Marquis holds a post-performance cast reception to which he has invited Latour. Upon meeting her, Chapelou falls in love, not recognising the wife he abandoned. He proposes, she accepts, and a wedding occurs. ''Act 3'' The Marquis has informed the police and denounced this apparent bigamy. On the wedding night Madeleine appears in her old peasant clothes and Chapelou now recognises her. She then transforms before his eyes into Latour, the heiress. When the Marquis arrives with the police, she reveals her deception to all: the couple have married twice and vow from that day on to love like good village people. This induces a hearty response from the chorus to provide a stirring finale.

Film

In 1936 the opera was loosely adapted into an Austrian-Swiss comedy film ''

The Postman from Longjumeau ''The Postman from Longjumeau'' (German: ''Der Postillon von Lonjumeau'') is a 1936 Austrian-Swiss musical comedy film directed by Carl Lamac and starring Carl Esmond, Rose Stradner and Alfred Neugebauer. The film is known by several alternative t ...

'' directed by

Carl Lamac Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", List of Aqua Teen ...

Recordings

* 17–25 September 1985, Salle Garnier, Monte-Carlo :

Thomas Fulton Thomas Fulton (September 18, 1949 - August 4, 1994), was an American conductor. Noted primarily for his work in opera, Fulton debuted at the Metropolitan Opera of New York City in 1979 and remained with the company until his death. He conducted 1 ...

conducting the

Orchestre philharmonique de Monte-Carlo The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (french: Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, OPMC) is the main orchestra in the Principality of Monaco. The orchestra gives concerts primarily in the Auditorium Rainier III, but also performs at the Salle ...

, with

John Aler John Aler (October 4, 1949 – December 10, 2022) was an American lyric tenor who performed in concerts, recitals, and operas. He was particularly known for his interpretations of the works of Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Handel. Bi ...

(Chapelou / Saint-Phar),

François Le Roux François Le Roux (born 30 October 1955) is a French baritone. Le Roux began vocal studies at 19 with François Loup, winning prizes in Barcelona and Rio de Janeiro. He was a member of the Lyon Opera Company from 1980 to 1985, before appearing in ...

(de Corcy),

Jean-Philippe Lafont Jean-Philippe Lafont (born 11 February 1951) is a French baritone. He studied in his native city of Toulouse and later at the Opéra-Studio in Paris.O'Connor, Patrick He made his operatic debut as Papageno in ''The Magic Flute'' at the Salle Favar ...

(Biju / Alcindor),

June Anderson June Anderson (born December 30, 1952) is a Grammy Award-winning American coloratura soprano. She is known for ''bel canto'' performances of Rossini, Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini. Subsequently, she has extended her repertoire to include a wid ...

(Madeleine / Madame de Latour), Daniel Ottewaere (Bourdon), Balvina de Courcelles (Rose). (EMI 557106-2) *DVD:2020, filmed at the

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 ...

, Paris : Sebastien Rouland conducting the Orchestre de l'Opera de Rouen Normandie and

Accentus Accentus (or Accentus Ecclesiasticus; Ecclesiastical accent) is a style of church music that emphasizes spoken word. It is often contrasted with ''concentus'', an alternative style that emphasizes harmony. The terms ''accentus'' and ''concentus'' ...

chorus, with

(Chapelou/Saint-Phar), Florie Valiquette (Madeleine/Madame de Latour),Franck Leguerinel (Le Marquis de Corcy), Laurent Kubla (Biju/Alcindor), Julien Clement (Bourdon),

(Rose).

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abr ...

Cat: NBD0112V

References

Sources *

Pougin, Arthur Arthur Pougin ( 6 August 1834 – 8 August 1921) was a French musical and dramatic critic and writer. He was born at Châteauroux (Indre) and studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris under Jean Delphin Alard, Alard (violin) and Napoléon Henri ...

(1880)
"Valentino (Henri-Justin-Joseph)", pp. 597–598
in ''Biographie universelle des musiciens et Bibliographie générale de la musique par F.-J. Fétis. Supplément et complément'', vol. 2. Paris: Firmin-Didot
View
at Google Books. * Tamvaco, Jean-Louis (2000). ''Les Cancans de l'Opéra. Chroniques de l'Académie Royale de Musique et du théâtre, à Paris sous les deux restorations'' (2 volumes, in French). Paris: CNRS Editions. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Postillon de Lonjumeau Operas by Adolphe Adam French-language operas Opéras comiques 1836 operas Operas Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique Operas adapted into films