Isoline (opera)
Encyclopedia
Isoline is an opera, described as a 'conte de fées' (fairy story) in three acts and ten tableaux, on a text by Catulle Mendès
, with music by André Messager
.
of Isoline to Chabrier but according to the writer, the Théâtre de la Renaissance
wanted Messager to write the music, as he was better known for writing operettas and Chabrier had "too much talent, a talent too epic and grand".
Messager had already composed incidental music for Le petit Poucet, a 'féérie' staged at the Théâtre de la Gaîté
in 1885. Messager probably wrote some of the score at Montivillers, near to Le Havre
; in order to complete the orchestration in time, he was assisted by Paul Lacome, a composer and friend of Chabrier.
Just after the première, the theatre started heading towards bankruptcy, although nearly 60 performances took place up to mid February (with the conductor Paul Letombe).
, Paris
on 26 December 1888. In the initial run Isoline was staged for one matinee and 57 evenings, closing on 20 February 1889.
In 1930, Reynaldo Hahn
directed a single performance at the Casino in Cannes
.
The Opéra-Comique
gave a series of performances in 1958 directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
and conducted by Georges Prêtre
. Liliane Berton
sang Isoline, Gabriel Bacquier
Obéron, and Isolin was made into a tenor, sung by Alain Vanzo
.
Three broadcast recordings have been made of the work:
Prologue - Le rêve d'Isoline
The opera opens on a coast with lemon trees, their branches covered – by magic – with flowers and fruit. A golden galley approaches – the boat of Oberon
, king of the elves, in disguise as Eros
, en route to Cythère
, with happy loving couples as passengers. Princess Isoline sees all this... Oberon then conjures a vision of the handsome young Prince Isolin, son of the Emperor of Credizon, richly dressed, who falls at Isoline’s feet. But this was all just a dream...
Sur la tour
Captive in her dark castle room, Isoline recalls her dream. Titania, the godmother of Isoline promises to protect the princess against the plans of Oberon. Oberon's magic brings Isolin to her side and each declares their love.
La vérité sur le mariage
Oberon next makes the walls of the turret room collapse, and Isoline and Isolin fly off on a golden dragon – despite the despairing cries of her surveillants.
However, Titania brings the lovers down – to a sad land where the queen is so ugly that all mirrors are banned, rivers and lakes are drained and all the local maidens weep.
Le pays sans miroirs
Oberon appears as a holy man, and proposes that Isolin should marry his fiancée Isoline. Delighted by this, Isolin goes off with the disguised Oberon to arrange the ceremony. Titania, herself disguised as an old beggar, makes Isoline believe that she has become ugly, which drives her to despair. When Isolin returns, Isoline, thinking he wants to marry her through pity, repulses him.
La Chimère d'or et de neige
Despairing, the young man draws his dagger to stab himself, but Isoline sees her true reflection in the dagger’s blade, and responds once more to his ardour.
Le joyeux pays
However, the marriage ceremony is interrupted when the army of Queen Amalasonthe appears, to prevent the union of Isoline and Isolin.
Au bord de l'étang
So the stage is set for battle: Isolin and his 1,000 soldiers against Amalasonthe’s army; Oberon is convinced that Isolin’s side will triumph. Oberon then finds Titania asleep and reflects on his feelings for her, but their duet fails to heal their rift.
La forêt de Brocéliande
A few hours later in the forest of Brocéliande Titania gets the fairies (in a choral ballet) to use their charms to hold captive the prince Isolin. But in battle the forces of Isolin are victorious and Queen Amalasonthe surrenders – Isoline may become his wife.
Le soir des noces
The marriage ceremony goes ahead, but Titiana has ensured that while Isoline is transformed into a boy on her first kiss from Isolin, the groom is transformed into a girl.
L'embarquement pour Cythère
So ‘Isolin’ and ‘Isoline’ can set sail for Cythère. Oberon and Titania are reconciled and Titania is persuaded to join everyone for the voyage to Cythère.
Catulle Mendès
Catulle Mendès was a French poet and man of letters.Of Portuguese Jewish extraction, he was born in Bordeaux. He early established himself in Paris and promptly attained notoriety by the publication in the Revue fantaisiste of his Roman d'une nuit, for which he was condemned to a month's...
, with music by André Messager
André Messager
André Charles Prosper Messager , was a French composer, organist, pianist, conductor and administrator. His stage compositions included ballets and 30 opéra comiques and operettas, among which Véronique, had lasting success, with Les p'tites Michu and Monsieur Beaucaire also enjoying international...
.
Background
In mid-1888 Catulle Mendès had promised the librettoLibretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
of Isoline to Chabrier but according to the writer, the Théâtre de la Renaissance
Théâtre de la Renaissance
The name Théâtre de la Renaissance has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour, now an office building on the Rue Méhul in the 2nd arrondissement.The current...
wanted Messager to write the music, as he was better known for writing operettas and Chabrier had "too much talent, a talent too epic and grand".
Messager had already composed incidental music for Le petit Poucet, a 'féérie' staged at the Théâtre de la Gaîté
Théâtre de la Gaîté (rue Papin)
In 1862 during Haussmann's modernization of Paris the Théâtre de la Gaîté of the boulevard du Temple was relocated to the rue Papin across from the Square des Arts et Métiers....
in 1885. Messager probably wrote some of the score at Montivillers, near to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
; in order to complete the orchestration in time, he was assisted by Paul Lacome, a composer and friend of Chabrier.
Just after the première, the theatre started heading towards bankruptcy, although nearly 60 performances took place up to mid February (with the conductor Paul Letombe).
Performance history
Isoline was premiered at the Théâtre de la RenaissanceThéâtre de la Renaissance
The name Théâtre de la Renaissance has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour, now an office building on the Rue Méhul in the 2nd arrondissement.The current...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 26 December 1888. In the initial run Isoline was staged for one matinee and 57 evenings, closing on 20 February 1889.
In 1930, Reynaldo Hahn
Reynaldo Hahn
Reynaldo Hahn was a Venezuelan, naturalised French, composer, conductor, music critic and diarist. Best known as a composer of songs, he wrote in the French classical tradition of the mélodie....
directed a single performance at the Casino in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
.
The Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
gave a series of performances in 1958 directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle was a noted French opera director.-Biography:Ponnelle was born in Paris. He studied philosophy, art, and history there and, in 1952, began his career in Germany as a theatre designer for Hans Werner Henze's opera Boulevard Solitude...
and conducted by Georges Prêtre
Georges Prêtre
- Biography :He was born in Waziers , and attended the Douai Conservatory and then studied harmony under Maurice Duruflé and conducting under André Cluytens among others at the Conservatoire de Paris. Amongst his early musical interests were jazz and trumpet. After graduating, he conducted in a...
. Liliane Berton
Liliane Berton
Liliane Berton was a French soprano, known principally on the opera stage, but also active in radio recordings and as a teacher.-Career:...
sang Isoline, Gabriel Bacquier
Gabriel Bacquier
Gabriel Bacquier is a French operatic baritone. One of the leading baritones of the 20th century and particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories, he is considered a fine singing-actor equally at home in dramatic or comic roles.-Life and career:Gabriel Bacquier was born in...
Obéron, and Isolin was made into a tenor, sung by Alain Vanzo
Alain Vanzo
Alain Vanzo was a French opera singer and composer, one of few French tenors of international standing in the postwar era...
.
Three broadcast recordings have been made of the work:
- 21 September 1947 - on Radio FranceRadio FranceRadio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
with Janine MicheauJanine MicheauJanine Micheau was a French singer, one of the leading lyric sopranos of her era in France.Janine Micheau was born in Toulouse, and studied voice at the Paris Conservatoire...
(Isoline), Jane Rolland (Isolin) and Willy ClémentWilly ClémentWilly Clément was a French baritone , who was noted in light baritone roles and operetta. -Life and career:...
(Obéron), conducted by Louis BeydtsLouis BeydtsLouis Beydts was a French composer, music critic and theatre director, born 29 June 1895 in Bordeaux and died on 15 August 1953 at Caudéran in Gironde.-Life and career:...
(re-issued by INA); - 8 July 1955, with Liliane BertonLiliane BertonLiliane Berton was a French soprano, known principally on the opera stage, but also active in radio recordings and as a teacher.-Career:...
, Christiane Jacquin and Camille MauraneCamille MauraneCamille Maurane, born Camille Moreau , was a French baritone singer. His father was a music teacher and he started singing as a child in the Maîtrise Saint-Evode in Rouen...
, conducted by Jules Gressier; and - 18 October 1969, with Lina Dachary, Janine Capderou and Bernard Demigny, conducted by Marcel Cariven.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 26 December 1888 (Conductor: -) |
|---|---|---|
| Eros, Obéron | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Louis-Auguste Morlet |
| Daphnis | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Wolff |
| Isolin | soprano | Marie-Puebla Nixau |
| Titania | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Berthe Thibault |
| Isoline | soprano | Antonia-Louise Aussourd |
| La Reine Amalasonthe | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
France |
| Rosélio | tenor | Mlle Theven |
| La belle fille, Violante | soprano | Germaine Gallois |
| Une pensionnaire, Nicette | soprano | Lapierre |
| Chloë | soprano | Précourt |
| First Désolée | mezzo-soprano | Burty |
| Second Désolée | soprano | Tiphaine |
Synopsis
As a result of a quarrel between Oberon and Titania over a child, a present from the Empress of the Indies, Oberon has condemned the 16 year-old Princess Isoline to be transformed into a man in her bridal bed on the day of her marriage. To avoid this fate Isoline has been cloistered with her maids of honour in the turret of a castle of her mother Queen Amalasonthe, in an attempt to ensure that she does not suspect that love may exist in the world. Only the young page Rosélio is allowed in her presence.Prologue - Le rêve d'Isoline
The opera opens on a coast with lemon trees, their branches covered – by magic – with flowers and fruit. A golden galley approaches – the boat of Oberon
Oberon
Oberon is a legendary king of the fairies.Oberon may also refer to:-People:* Merle Oberon , British actress* Oberon Zell-Ravenheart , Neopagan activist-Media and entertainment:* Oberon...
, king of the elves, in disguise as Eros
Eros
Eros , in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid . Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite....
, en route to Cythère
Cytherean
Cytherean is an adjective meaning pertaining to Cythera , a small island now part of Greece, southeast of the Peloponnesus. It is also an adjective meaning pertaining to the planet Venus.When planetary scientists began to have a need to discuss Venus in detail, an adjective was needed...
, with happy loving couples as passengers. Princess Isoline sees all this... Oberon then conjures a vision of the handsome young Prince Isolin, son of the Emperor of Credizon, richly dressed, who falls at Isoline’s feet. But this was all just a dream...
Sur la tour
Captive in her dark castle room, Isoline recalls her dream. Titania, the godmother of Isoline promises to protect the princess against the plans of Oberon. Oberon's magic brings Isolin to her side and each declares their love.
La vérité sur le mariage
Oberon next makes the walls of the turret room collapse, and Isoline and Isolin fly off on a golden dragon – despite the despairing cries of her surveillants.
However, Titania brings the lovers down – to a sad land where the queen is so ugly that all mirrors are banned, rivers and lakes are drained and all the local maidens weep.
Le pays sans miroirs
Oberon appears as a holy man, and proposes that Isolin should marry his fiancée Isoline. Delighted by this, Isolin goes off with the disguised Oberon to arrange the ceremony. Titania, herself disguised as an old beggar, makes Isoline believe that she has become ugly, which drives her to despair. When Isolin returns, Isoline, thinking he wants to marry her through pity, repulses him.
La Chimère d'or et de neige
Despairing, the young man draws his dagger to stab himself, but Isoline sees her true reflection in the dagger’s blade, and responds once more to his ardour.
Le joyeux pays
However, the marriage ceremony is interrupted when the army of Queen Amalasonthe appears, to prevent the union of Isoline and Isolin.
Au bord de l'étang
So the stage is set for battle: Isolin and his 1,000 soldiers against Amalasonthe’s army; Oberon is convinced that Isolin’s side will triumph. Oberon then finds Titania asleep and reflects on his feelings for her, but their duet fails to heal their rift.
La forêt de Brocéliande
A few hours later in the forest of Brocéliande Titania gets the fairies (in a choral ballet) to use their charms to hold captive the prince Isolin. But in battle the forces of Isolin are victorious and Queen Amalasonthe surrenders – Isoline may become his wife.
Le soir des noces
The marriage ceremony goes ahead, but Titiana has ensured that while Isoline is transformed into a boy on her first kiss from Isolin, the groom is transformed into a girl.
L'embarquement pour Cythère
So ‘Isolin’ and ‘Isoline’ can set sail for Cythère. Oberon and Titania are reconciled and Titania is persuaded to join everyone for the voyage to Cythère.