''L'enfant prodigue'' is a French

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

created in 1812 by Pierre Gardel and first performed at the

Opéra de Paris 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 ...

Background

Based on the

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

Parable of the Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father; ) is one of the parables of Jesus in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. In Luke 15, Jesus tells this sto ...

, the ballet ''L'enfant prodigue'' was presented in three acts with choreography by French ballet-master Pierre Gardel. On 28 April 1812, ''L'enfant prodigue'' was premiered at the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The set design was influenced by the desert and the temple of the deity Apis in

Memphis, Egypt Memphis (, ; Bohairic ; ), or Men-nefer, was the ancient capital of Inebu-hedj, the first Nome (Egypt), nome of Lower Egypt that was known as ''mḥw'' ("North"). Its ruins are located in the vicinity of the present-day village of Mit Rahina () ...

.Geoffroy, J. L. (1825). Cours de littérature dramatique: ou recueil par ordre de matières des feuilletons de Geoffroy : précédé d'une notice historique sur sa vie et ses ouvrages. France: Blanchard. ''L'enfant prodigue'' was reworked after its premiere for its performance on 2 May 1812. Criticized elements were removed, enhancing the ballet's acclaim and aligning it with the grandeur expected at the Opera. The Gardel-directed ballet was preceded by his 1810 ballet-pantomime titled '' Persée et Andromède''.

Music

The ballet's score, arranged by

Henri-Montan Berton Henri-Montan Berton (17 September 1767 – 22 April 1844) was a French composer, teacher, and writer, mostly known as a composer of operas for the Opéra-Comique. Career Henri-Montan Berton was born the son of Pierre Montan Berton.Charlton 2 ...

, included pieces from Mozart, Haydn, Sacchini, Paësiello, Paer, Viotti, alongside Berton's own compositions.Mercure de France au dix-neuvième siècle. (1812). France: (n.p.). The first act drew from the prayer of French composer Étienne Méhul's ''

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

'', Austrian composer

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

's ''Reine de France'' romance, works by Italian violinist

Giovanni Battista Viotti Giovanni Battista Viotti (12 May 1755 – 3 March 1824) was an Italian violinist whose virtuosity was famed and whose work as a composer featured a prominent violin and an appealing lyrical tunefulness. He was also a director of French and Italia ...

, and a symphony by Haydn in C.

Roles

Auguste Vestris, Beaupré, Émilie Bigottini, and Gosselin were key performers in the premiere held on 28 April 1812. The May performance starred Vestris as the Prodigal Son, showcasing his mime talent, with Mlle Chevigny as the son's mother and Madame Gardel as Jephtelle. The main roles were entrusted to the following

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be either gender. The position is similar to that of ''Soloist (ballet), solois ...

s of the Opera de Paris:

Synopsis

French emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

selected the subject of the ballet from several

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 ...

s choreographer Pierre Gardel presented to him. Gardel had hoped to stage a work on

William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...

with themes of liberty and resistance, but the emperor favored ''The Prodigal Son''.Revue de Paris. (1838). Belgium: Demengeot et Goodman, Librairies-Editeurs. The ballet of the

Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father; ) is one of the parables of Jesus in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. In Luke 15, Jesus tells this stor ...

, taken from the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

, unfolded across three main acts: Act I depicted the Prodigal Son's departure from home, act II followed his wanderings in a foreign land, and act III portrayed his return home. In the first act, young Azaël, the Prodigal Son, declares his intent to leave home, lured by the allure of Memphis, the capital of Egypt. Despite his grief, his father provides him with money, while his mother expresses deep sorrow. Act two shifts to Memphis, where Azaël who arrives alone succumbs to indulgence, losing his wealth and betraying Lia, a virtuous Moabite girl who had fallen in love with him. Overcome by despair and rejected by her father, Lia sacrifices herself to the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

. The third act finds Azaël destitute in the desert starving and robbed by crooks, where an angel inspires him to return home. Upon returning home to the land of "Jessen", the first person he meets is Jephtelle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:L'enfant prodigue Ballets based on the Bible 1810s ballets Pantomime Ballets to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Ballets by Pierre Gardel