Opera Lafayette is an opera company based in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, that produces French operas from the 17th and 18th centuries. It was founded in 1995 by Ryan Brown and splits its season between Washington and New York City.

History

Specializing in French

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

, Opera Lafayette was founded in Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1994 by Ryan Brown as the Violins of Lafayette, named after the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

. It adopted its current name during 2001 and, in 2005, released its first recording on the

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 ab ...

label, Christoph Willibald Gluck's '' Orphée et Euridice''. In 2012, Opera Lafayette staged its first international performance,

Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny ( – ) was a French composer and a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts (1813). He is considered alongside André Grétry and François-André Danican Philidor to have been the founder of a new musical gen ...

's '' Le roi et le fermier'' (''The King and the Farmer''); this "forgotten" Monsigny work was performed at the

Royal Opera of Versailles The Royal Opera of Versailles () is the main theatre and opera house of the Palace of Versailles. Designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, it is also known as the Théâtre Gabriel. The interior decoration by Augustin Pajou is constructed almost entirely ...

using recently discovered backdrops from a 1780 staging of the opera. An ensemble from the company performed aboard the French frigate ''Hermione'', a replica of the 32-gun ''Concorde'' class frigate that once ferried the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States, during its 2015 visit to

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

. According to the ''New York Times'', Opera Lafayette has "won consistent praise and loyal audiences for its historically informed productions of French Baroque operas using period instruments, appropriate costumes and elegant dancing". The paper has further described it as "a skillful purveyor of French Baroque operas", while ''DC Theatre Scene'' has said the company "should be considered a national treasure".

Organization

As of 2019, the opera's conductor and artistic director is Ryan Brown, Diana Hossack is the executive director, and Nizam Kettaneh and Dorsey C. Dunn are the co-chairs of the company's board of directors. The concertmaster of Opera Lafayette's orchestra is Claire Jolivet. The company performs a split season with performances in Washington at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, and in New York at

Frederick P. Rose Hall Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orches ...

Discography

Opera Lafayette has released eleven recordings, all on the Naxos label: # '' Orphée et Euridice'' by Christoph Willibald Gluck (2005) # '' Oedipe à Colone'' by

Antonio Sacchini Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini (14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Sacchini was born in Florence, but raised in Naples, where he received his musical education. He made a name for him ...

(2006) # ''Rameau Operatic Arias'' sung by Jean-Paul Fouchécourt (2007) # '' Armide'' by Jean-Baptiste Lully (2008) # '' Zélindor, roi des Sylphes'' by

François Rebel François Rebel (19 June 17017 November 1775) was a French composer of the Baroque era. Born in Paris, the son of the leading composer Jean-Féry Rebel, he was a child prodigy who became a violinist The following lists of violinists are availab ...

and ''Le Trophée'' by

François Francoeur François Francœur (8 September 1698 – 5 August 1787) was a French composer and violinist. Biography François Francœur was born in Paris, the son of Joseph Francœur, a basse de violon player and member of the '' 24 violons du roy''. Franc ...

(2009) # '' Le déserteur'' by

(2010) # '' Sancho Pança'' by

François-André Danican Philidor François-André Danican Philidor (7 September 1726 – 31 August 1795), often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the ''opéra comique''. ...

(2011) # ''

Le magnifique ''Le Magnifique'' (literally ''The Magnificent''; also known as The Man from Acapulco) is a French/Italian international co-production released in 1973, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jacqueline Bisset and Vittorio Caprioli that was directed by P ...

'' by

André Grétry André Ernest Modeste Grétry (; baptised 11 February 1741; died 24 September 1813) was a composer from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (present-day Belgium), who worked from 1767 onwards in France and took French nationality. He is most famous ...

(2012) # '' Le roi et le fermier'' by Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny (2013) # ''

Lalla-Roukh ''Lalla-Roukh'' is an '' opéra comique'' in two acts composed by Félicien David. The libretto by Michel Carré and Hippolyte Lucas was based on Thomas Moore's 1817 narrative poem ''Lalla Rookh''. It was first performed on 12 May 1862 by the ...

'' by

Félicien David Félicien-César David (13 April 1810 – 29 August 1876) was a French composer. Biography Félicien David was born in Cadenet, and began to study music at the age of five under his father, whose death when the boy was six left him an impoverish ...

(2014) # '' Les femmes vengées'' by François-André Danican Philidor (2015) Selections from the above recordings are included in the two CDs accompanying a Naxos book, ''A–Z of Opera, 2nd Edition''.

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1994 Music companies based in Washington, D.C.

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

1994 establishments in Washington, D.C. Performing arts in Washington, D.C.