''Gismonda'' is a 1919 French-language

grand opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterized by large-scale casts and Orchestra, orchestras. The original productions consisted of spectacular design and stage effects with plots normally based on o ...

in three acts by

Henry Février Henry Février (; 2 October 18756 July 1957) was a French composer. Biography Henry Février was born in Paris, France, on 2 October 1875, the son of architect Jules Février. He married and had a son, the pianist Jacques Février. He studied ...

to a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 th ...

by Henri Caïn and Louis Payen based on the 1894 play ''

Gismonda ''Gismonda'' is a Greek-set melodrama in four acts by Victorien Sardou that premiered on October 31, 1894 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance. In 1918, the play was adapted for the now lost film ''Love's Conquest.'' In 1918/1919, it was adapte ...

'' by

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 1831 – 8 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-c ...

. The planned premiere in Paris was halted by the outbreak of World War I but the composer was given leave from the French army to premiere the opera with

Mary Garden Mary Garden (20 February 1874 – 3 January 1967) was a Scottish-American operatic lyric soprano, then mezzo-soprano, with a substantial career in France and America in the first third of the 20th century. She spent the latter part of her chil ...

in the title role with the Chicago Opera Association on 14 January 1919. Février was also present when the production was then shown in New York City at Loew's Lexington Theatre (demolished in 1960, now a hotel) on January 27 that year. It premiered in Paris at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

on 15 October of the same year.

Recordings

* "La Paix du cloître", Claudine Boons, soprano, Polydor about 1932 * "Oui, vous étiez l'enjeu splendide", René Lapelleterie, tenor * "Dit-elle vrai?",

Véronique Gens Véronique Gens (born 19 April 1966) is a French operatic soprano. She has spent much of her career recording and performing Baroque music, Baroque music. Gens was born in Orléans, France, and studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, winning fir ...

, soprano. Münchner Rundfunkorchester,

Hervé Niquet Hervé Niquet (born 28 October 1957) is a French conductor, harpsichordist, tenor, and the director of Le Concert Spirituel, specializing in French Baroque music. Biography Born on 28 October 1957, Hervé Niquet was raised at Abbeville in ...

2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gismonda Operas 1919 operas Operas by Henry Février French-language operas Operas based on plays Operas set in Greece Operas based on works by Victorien Sardou