''Guercœur'' is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western 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 ...

in three acts by the French composer

Albéric Magnard Lucien Denis Gabriel Albéric Magnard (; 9 June 1865 – 3 September 1914) was a French composer, somewhat influenced by César Franck and Vincent d'Indy. Magnard became a national hero in 1914 when he refused to surrender his property to German ...

to his own

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 ...

. It was first performed posthumously at the

Paris Opéra 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 kn ...

on 24 April 1931, though it had mostly been written between 1897 and 1901. The music shows the influence of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

History

, a composer whose chamber and symphonic works were performed, composed ''Guercœur'' as his second opera to his own

between 1897 and 1901. He then tried in vain to find a theatre ready to produce it. The composer died trying to save his house from the invading Germans at the beginning of World War I in 1914, and the score was partially destroyed in the resulting fire. Magnard's friend

Guy Ropartz Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz (; 15 June 1864 – 22 November 1955) was a French composer and conductor. His compositions included five symphonies, three violin sonatas, cello sonatas, six string quartets, a piano trio and string trio (both in A min ...

reconstructed the missing sections from the vocal score so the opera could be staged. It was first performed posthumously at the

on 24 April 1931.

Performances

After the premiere, the opera received its next production more than 80 years later at

Theater Osnabrück Theater Osnabrück is a German theatre in Osnabrück, Germany. It operates under the auspices of the ''Städtische Bühnen Osnabrück gGmbH''. The primary performance venues are the ''Theater am Domhof'' (seating capacity 642) and the ''emma-thea ...

in June 2019 with Rhys Jenkins in the title role, conducted by Andreas Hotz. The Opéra du Rhin staged the opera in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

in April 2024 (only the second known production in France) conducted by

Ingo Metzmacher Ingo Metzmacher (born 10 November 1957) is a German conductor and artistic director of the festival KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen in Hanover. Life Metzmacher was born in Hanover, the son of the cellist Rudolf Metzmacher and the research biol ...

, with

Stéphane Degout Stéphane Degout (born 9 June 1975 in Bourg-en-Bresse) is a contemporary French baritone. He grew up in Saint-Jean-de-Niost (Ain) and has been living in Lyon since 1995. Biography Trained at the lycée Saint-Exupéry in Lyon, the Conservatoi ...

in the title role.Canning, Hugh. Report from Strasbourg. ''Opera'', August 2024, Op.75, No.8, p.1057-8. In 2025,

Oper Frankfurt The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Schreker's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, ''Fennimore and Gerda, Fennimore ...

staged the opera, conducted by

Marie Jacquot Marie Jacquot (born 1990 in Paris) is a French orchestra conductor. She is music director of the Royal Danish Orchestra. Biography Raised in Lucé near Chartres, Jacquot began her music studies on piano, and subsequently learned to play trombo ...

(title role: Domen Križaj). The stage design was inspired by the Bonn (Act I + II) and the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

(Act III).

Roles

Synopsis

Guercœur, the wise ruler of a medieval city-state, has died in battle defending his people. In Heaven, he begs to be allowed to return to earth to save his city. His wish is granted but he finds his best friend, Heurtal, has become the lover of his widow, Giselle, and is planning to rule as a despot after marrying her. Shocked, Guercœur attempts to convince the people to reject corruption, but they become increasingly angry with him, and in the end he is murdered. Disillusioned with humanity, he returns to heaven, where he is greeted by the Goddess of Truth. She assures him that despite human weaknesses, a great age of humanity lies ahead.

Recordings

* 1951 Bernard Demigny, Marcelle Bunlet, Fernand Faniard, Marisa Ferrer; orchestra and chorus conducted by

Tony Aubin Tony Louis Alexandre Aubin (; 8 December 1907 – 21 September 1981) was a French composer. Life and Career Aubin was born in Paris on 8 December 1907. From 1925 to 1930, he studied at the Paris Conservatory under Samuel Rousseau (music theory ...

(Bourg, 1985) * 1986

José van Dam Joseph, Baron Van Damme (born 25 August 1940 in Brussels), known as José van Dam, is a Belgian bass-baritone, described as having "a magnificent resonant and expressive voice" and being "an excellent actor". Life and career At the age of 17, h ...

Hildegard Behrens Hildegard Behrens (9 February 1937 – 18 August 2009) was a German operatic soprano with a wide repertoire including Wagner, Weber, Mozart, Richard Strauss, and Alban Berg roles. She performed at major opera houses around the world, and receiv ...

, Gary Lakes,

Nadine Denize Nadine Denize (born 6 November 1943) is a French mezzo-soprano. Career Born in Rouen, Denize studied at the , in Marie-Louise Christol's class and entered the Conservatoire de Paris (rue de Madrid) in Camille Maurane's class at age eighteen. She ...

, Orfeón Donostiarra, Toulouse Capitole Orchestra, conducted by

Michel Plasson Michel Plasson (born 2 October 1933, Paris, France) is a French conductor. Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. ...

(EMI, 1987)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guercoeur Compositions by Albéric Magnard French-language operas 1931 operas Operas Lost operas Operas completed by others