Jaguarita l'Indienne
Encyclopedia
Jaguarita l'Indienne is a three act opéra comique
, to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Adolphe de Leuven, with music by Fromental Halévy
.
The opera was premiered on 14 May 1855 at the Théâtre-Lyrique, Paris
, with the soprano Marie Cabel
in the title role, whose performance in the part was much admired by Berlioz in a contemporary review. The opera was also chosen as the opening performance of the rebuilt Théâtre La Monnaie
in Brussels
in 1856.
The opera is set in Dutch Guyana in 1772. Jaguarita is the queen of a native tribe, but has been taken prisoner by the Dutch. With her henchman, Jumbo, she drugs her guard Maurice whom she kidnaps as part of her escape. Falling in love with Maurice, Jaguarita gets her tribesmen drunk and successfully subverts their attack on the Dutch settlement. The opera is somewhat satiric in its intentions, but the plot element of the love of an exotic queen for a European is also found in Meyerbeer's later opera L'Africaine
.
An English version of the libretto, (moving the action to North America and substituting Oanita for Jaguarita) was set by Wallace
in 1863 and produced at Covent Garden Theatre, under the title The Desert Flower.
Opéra comique
Opéra comique is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged out of the popular opéra comiques en vaudevilles of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent , which combined existing popular tunes with spoken sections...
, to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Adolphe de Leuven, with music by Fromental Halévy
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
.
The opera was premiered on 14 May 1855 at the Théâtre-Lyrique, 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...
, with the soprano Marie Cabel
Marie Cabel
Marie Cabel was a Belgian coloratura soprano. She is probably best remembered for having created the role of Philine in Ambroise Thomas' opera Mignon.-Early life and career:...
in the title role, whose performance in the part was much admired by Berlioz in a contemporary review. The opera was also chosen as the opening performance of the rebuilt Théâtre La Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1856.
The opera is set in Dutch Guyana in 1772. Jaguarita is the queen of a native tribe, but has been taken prisoner by the Dutch. With her henchman, Jumbo, she drugs her guard Maurice whom she kidnaps as part of her escape. Falling in love with Maurice, Jaguarita gets her tribesmen drunk and successfully subverts their attack on the Dutch settlement. The opera is somewhat satiric in its intentions, but the plot element of the love of an exotic queen for a European is also found in Meyerbeer's later opera L'Africaine
L'Africaine
L'africaine is a grand opera, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama...
.
An English version of the libretto, (moving the action to North America and substituting Oanita for Jaguarita) was set by Wallace
William Vincent Wallace
William Vincent Wallace was an Irish composer and musician.-Early life:Wallace was born at Colbeck Street, Waterford, Ireland. Both parents were Irish, his father, of County Mayo, was a regimental bandmaster....
in 1863 and produced at Covent Garden Theatre, under the title The Desert Flower.