''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 Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (; 29 January 178212 May 1871) was a French composer and director of the Paris Conservatoire. Born into an artistic family, Auber was at first an amateur composer before he took up writing operas professionally when ...

, 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. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

(in three acts) is by Auber's regular collaborator,

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of ma ...

and is based on a short story by

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...

, ''La Partie de

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

'' (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 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 peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

's poem ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

''. 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 The Council of Ten ( it, Consiglio dei Dieci; vec, Consejo de i Diexe), or simply the Ten, was from 1310 to 1797 one of the major governing bodies of the Republic of Venice. Elections took place annually and the Council of Ten had the power to i ...

. 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 ...

Recordings

* Isabelle Philippe (Haydée); Bruno Comparetti (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, Gab ...

; 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