''La cour de Célimène'' (''The Court of Célimène''), also known as ''Les douze'' (''The dozen'') 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 Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

in two acts by French composer

Ambroise Thomas Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (; 5 August 1811 – 12 February 1896) was a French composer and teacher, best known for his operas ''Mignon'' (1866) and ''Hamlet (opera), Hamlet'' (1868). Born into a musical family, Thomas was a student at the C ...

. The original French

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 ...

was by Joseph-Bernard Rosier (1804–1880). The principal character, the Countess, is not named, but her

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

in the opera, Célimène, refers to a character in

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's drama ''

Le Misanthrope ''The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover'' (; ) is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris by the King's Players. The play satirizes the ...

'' who has a large number of suitors.

Performance history

The premiere took place at the second Salle Favart on 11 April 1855. It received nineteen performances, but was forgotten until a recording by

Opera Rara Opera Rara is a London-based opera company and recording label which specialises in recording and performing forgotten operatic repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1970 by bel canto enthusiasts Patric Schmid and Don Whi ...

was released in 2008. The opera returned to the stage for the first time in nearly a century and a half on 21 October 2011, when it opened the 60th season of

Wexford Festival Opera Wexford Festival Opera () is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in south-eastern Ireland during the months of October and November. Festival origins, growth and development Tom Walsh, 1951 to 1966 Tom Walsh, an avid o ...

.Wexford Festival programme: ''La cour de Célimène''
/ref>

Roles

Synopsis

:Place: A chateau in Paris :Time: 1750

Act 1

''The Countess's garden in the evening'' Twelve of the Countess's admirers are expecting her to arrive soon. There are four

breeches role In theater, a breeches role or breeches part (also pants role, pants part, trouser role, trouser part, and Hosenrolle) is a role in which a female actor performs in male clothing. Breeches, tight-fitting knee-length pants, were a standard male ...

adolescents, four young men and four old men, who all prowl around, bumping into each other and swearing that each is the Countess's favourite. She appears with Bretonne and her maids, and her sister the Baroness also arrives. The suitors are sent packing. The Countess, whose late husband was a philanderer, is determined to break her admirers' hearts. The Baroness disapproves of her immorality. The Commander, who is engaged to the Countess, enters. He is flattered by her attention and does not mind her flirting with her admirers. He is happy to be living on the sisters' estate and regards it as beneficial to his health. Another suitor, a young Gascon called the Chevalier, whom the Countess met in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

, is announced. The Baroness and Commander hide while the Countess twists the nervous Chevalier round her little finger before telling him that she is engaged to the Commander. The suitors reappear, horrified to hear that the Countess will not be marrying any of them. The Chevalier and the Commander start to argue, and they eventually challenge each other to a duel. The twelve suitors will be their seconds.

Act 2

''The Countess's boudoir''. Surrounded by love-letters and flowers, the Countess is in a reflective mood. She imagines a lover and then another - each can be dispensed with, as there are plenty more to replace them. Bretonne appears, and is delighted when the Countess gives her some of the bouquets and love-letters. The Baroness now arrives, followed by all of

the duellists ''The Duellists'' is a 1977 British historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott and produced by David Puttnam. Set in France during the Napoleonic Wars, the film focuses on a series of duels between two rival officers, the obsessive Bonapar ...

' exhausted seconds. They denounce the Countess, but she convinces them individually that each is still her favourite. The suitors tell the Countess that the Commander has been seriously wounded by the Chevalier. He enters, bandaged and dishevelled, and ashamed to have lost the duel for the Countess. Wishing to continue to live on the estate, he asks the Baroness for her hand. The Countess is alarmed - will she now be obliged to marry the Chevalier? She and the Commander leave and the Chevalier enters, commending the Commander as an honourable gentleman, and keen to exact revenge from the fickle Countess. The Baroness suggests that he might now find a more loving woman (she means a reformed Countess), but the Chevalier assumes that the Baroness is putting herself forward, and that she will marry him forthwith. He is delighted, and disappears to collect his luggage. When the Chevalier returns, he is astonished to see the Commander on his knees in front of the Baroness. As the suitors reappear, the Chevalier is about to challenge the Commander to another duel, but the Countess enters and offers her hand to the Chevalier. He refuses her and takes the Baroness's hand - he will marry her after he has killed the Commander! The Countess finally admits that she had meant to offer her hand to the Commander. He accepts with pleasure, as his position on the estate will now be secure. The twelve suitors are disappointed - they had hoped that the Countess would never marry so that they could always live in hope. The Countess implies that they may still hope, so long as they continue to adore her. The Baroness and the Chevalier look forward to future happiness. ''Note: the above synopsis is a précis of the one by Richard Langham-Smith in the booklet for the Opera Rara recording''

Recordings

Thomas: ''La cour de Célimène'',

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

, Geoffrey Mitchell Choir *Conductor:

Andrew Litton Andrew Litton (born May 16, 1959, New York City) is an American orchestral conductor. Litton is a graduate of The Fieldston School. Biography He studied piano with Nadia Reisenberg and conducting with Sixten Ehrling at the Juilliard Schoo ...

*Soloists:

Laura Claycomb Laura Claycomb (born August 23, 1968) is an American lyric coloratura soprano singer. Background Claycomb was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, but grew up in Dallas, where she excelled in church and school choir, winning numerous youth competitio ...

(La Comtesse),

Joan Rodgers Joan Rodgers C.B.E. (born 4 November 1956, Cleator Moor, Cumbria, England) is an English operatic soprano. Early life She attended Whitehaven Grammar School, gaining French, German and Russian A-levels. She read Russian at the University of Li ...

(La Baronne),

Alastair Miles Alastair Miles (born 11 July 1961, Harrow, England) is a British operatic and concert bass who has had an international career since the late 1980s. Biography Education Alastair Miles was educated at The John Lyon School, Harrow, and subs ...

(Le Commandeur), Sébastien Droy (Le Chevalier), Nicole Tibbels (Bretonne) *Recording date: July 2007 *Label:

, ORC37 (2 CDs)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cour De Celimene, La Operas by Ambroise Thomas French-language operas 1855 operas Operas Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique Operas set in Paris