.gif)
Le Flibustier (opera)
Encyclopedia
Le flibustier is a comédie lyrique (lyric comedy) in three acts, composed by César Cui
during 1888-1889. Although the title can translate as The Pirate or The Buccaneer, this is no swashbuckling action-drama, but an idyllic domestic comedy of mistaken identity.
The opera
is based on the like-named play by Jean Richepin
, who wrote the libretto
, and is dedicated to La Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau
. It premiered at the Opéra-Comique
in Paris
on 22 February 1894, and played for four performances. It was revived in 1908 in a production by students at the Moscow Conservatory
under the conductorship of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov
, and a Russian edition of the piano-vocal score was printed under the title У моря (U morja = By the Sea). Nevertheless, despite the composer's own special fondness for this work, Le Flibustier seems never to have been performed again and never became part of the standard operatic repertoire.
In the year of its premiere, the composer contributed a rare biographical article entitled "Flibustier in Paris" about his experiences with this opera published in the Russian periodical Knizhki nedeli.
The composer extracted an orchestral suite
from this work consisting of the initial Prelude, the Dances that close Act I, and the March in Act III.
The French title of the opera has been transliterated into Cyrillic variously as Флибустьер or Флибюстье. Russian renderings of the French title include Морской разбойник (Morskoj razbojnik) and Пират (Pirat), both meaning "pirate."
The action takes place in Saint-Malo
, at the end of the 17th century, in the dwelling of Legoëz, which overlooks the sea.
One day, while only Marie-Anne is in the house, the stranger Jacquemin, who was Pierre's comrade years ago but does not know what has happened to him, stops by to inquire about him, bringing along some of his things. Both he and Marie-Anne are convinced that Pierre perished, and to spare
old Legoëz the bad news, she hides Jacquemin, but a misunderstanding occurs when Legoëz enters and notices the bundle of Pierre's things. He discovers the hidden Jacquemin and mistakes him for Pierre. Before any correction can be made, there is rejoicing and dancing.
Act II. At a celebratory feast Jacquemin recounts his adventures; Janik, thinking he is her cousin, is even more in love with him. Legoëz, sensing that the two of them are being shy, asks the guests to leave them alone for a while. With the two of them alone, Jacquemin, who likewise has fallen in love with Janik, tells her the truth. The deception does not matter to her: she loves him, even though he is not the Pierre from her childhood.
Jacquemin leaves Janik alone; her aunt Marie-Anne enters, and the two of them reconcile the deception. At this moment, by a great coincidence, the long-lost Pierre enters and identifies himself. Then Legoëz enters with Jacquemin from outside, and the latter tries to embrace his friend, but Pierre rejects the traitor, and the deception is revealed to Legoëz, who angrily sends Jacquemin away.
Act III. Pierre recounts his adventures with Spanish and English ships, resulting in wealth that allowed him to leave the sea-faring life to be a land-dweller. He invites Legoëz to come live in his new country away from the fog of the sea-side. Legoëz feels alienated from Pierre now -- they have become so different. Meanwhile, Janik is still in love with the banished Jacquemin, but Legoëz will not hear of it, and there is no joy in the house, despite Pierre's return.
Pierre finds out from Marie-Anne about the accidental nature of the mistaken identity (without knowing of Janik's feelings for Jacquemin, however), and outside on the street he relates this to Legoëz, who decides to forgive Jacquemin. In the meantime, though, Jacquemin drops by the house to bid a reluctant final farewell to Janik and Marie-Anne. Pierre enters and reconciles with Jacquemin. But when it is clear that the latter has Janik's love, Pierre at first is furious, but eventually realizes that a physical contest can make no difference, and so he relents. Legoëz enters, and, after learning what has transpired, consents to his granddaughter's marriage to Jacquemin and leads all in an homage to the sea.
César Cui
César Antonovich Cui was a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. His profession was as an army officer and a teacher of fortifications; his avocational life has particular significance in the history of music, in that he was a composer and music critic; in this sideline he is known as a...
during 1888-1889. Although the title can translate as The Pirate or The Buccaneer, this is no swashbuckling action-drama, but an idyllic domestic comedy of mistaken identity.
The opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
is based on the like-named play by Jean Richepin
Jean Richepin
Jean Richepin , French poet, novelist and dramatist, the son of an army doctor, was born at Médéa, French Algeria.At school and at the École Normale Supérieure he gave evidence of brilliant, if somewhat undisciplined, powers, for which he found physical vent in different directions—first as a...
, who wrote the libretto
Libretto
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...
, and is dedicated to La Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau
Marie-Clotilde-Elisabeth Louise de Riquet, comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau
Marie-Clotilde-Elisabeth Louise de Riquet was the elder daughter of Michel Gabriel Alphonse Ferdinand de Riquet , created prince de Chimay 1834, for himself only, and Rosalie de Riquet de Caraman...
. It premiered at 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...
in 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 22 February 1894, and played for four performances. It was revived in 1908 in a production by students at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
under the conductorship of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov
Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov was a Russian composer, conductor and teacher.- Biography :...
, and a Russian edition of the piano-vocal score was printed under the title У моря (U morja = By the Sea). Nevertheless, despite the composer's own special fondness for this work, Le Flibustier seems never to have been performed again and never became part of the standard operatic repertoire.
In the year of its premiere, the composer contributed a rare biographical article entitled "Flibustier in Paris" about his experiences with this opera published in the Russian periodical Knizhki nedeli.
The composer extracted an orchestral suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
from this work consisting of the initial Prelude, the Dances that close Act I, and the March in Act III.
The French title of the opera has been transliterated into Cyrillic variously as Флибустьер or Флибюстье. Russian renderings of the French title include Морской разбойник (Morskoj razbojnik) and Пират (Pirat), both meaning "pirate."
Characters and Setting
- François Legoëz, old sailor: baritoneBaritoneBaritone 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...
- Pierre, his son, a former flibustier: basse chantante
- Jacquemin, a flibustier: tenorTenorThe 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...
- Janik, granddaughter of François Legoëz: sopranoSopranoA 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...
- Marie-Anne, daughter-in-law of François Legoëz: mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA 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...
/ contralto
- Fishermen, wives of fishermen, girls: chorusChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
The action takes place in Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season...
, at the end of the 17th century, in the dwelling of Legoëz, which overlooks the sea.
Synopsis
Act I. Eight years ago, Pierre left home at the age of ten to be a pirate. His grandfather Legoëz and cousin Janik -- who loves him -- have long hoped that he would return.One day, while only Marie-Anne is in the house, the stranger Jacquemin, who was Pierre's comrade years ago but does not know what has happened to him, stops by to inquire about him, bringing along some of his things. Both he and Marie-Anne are convinced that Pierre perished, and to spare
old Legoëz the bad news, she hides Jacquemin, but a misunderstanding occurs when Legoëz enters and notices the bundle of Pierre's things. He discovers the hidden Jacquemin and mistakes him for Pierre. Before any correction can be made, there is rejoicing and dancing.
Act II. At a celebratory feast Jacquemin recounts his adventures; Janik, thinking he is her cousin, is even more in love with him. Legoëz, sensing that the two of them are being shy, asks the guests to leave them alone for a while. With the two of them alone, Jacquemin, who likewise has fallen in love with Janik, tells her the truth. The deception does not matter to her: she loves him, even though he is not the Pierre from her childhood.
Jacquemin leaves Janik alone; her aunt Marie-Anne enters, and the two of them reconcile the deception. At this moment, by a great coincidence, the long-lost Pierre enters and identifies himself. Then Legoëz enters with Jacquemin from outside, and the latter tries to embrace his friend, but Pierre rejects the traitor, and the deception is revealed to Legoëz, who angrily sends Jacquemin away.
Act III. Pierre recounts his adventures with Spanish and English ships, resulting in wealth that allowed him to leave the sea-faring life to be a land-dweller. He invites Legoëz to come live in his new country away from the fog of the sea-side. Legoëz feels alienated from Pierre now -- they have become so different. Meanwhile, Janik is still in love with the banished Jacquemin, but Legoëz will not hear of it, and there is no joy in the house, despite Pierre's return.
Pierre finds out from Marie-Anne about the accidental nature of the mistaken identity (without knowing of Janik's feelings for Jacquemin, however), and outside on the street he relates this to Legoëz, who decides to forgive Jacquemin. In the meantime, though, Jacquemin drops by the house to bid a reluctant final farewell to Janik and Marie-Anne. Pierre enters and reconciles with Jacquemin. But when it is clear that the latter has Janik's love, Pierre at first is furious, but eventually realizes that a physical contest can make no difference, and so he relents. Legoëz enters, and, after learning what has transpired, consents to his granddaughter's marriage to Jacquemin and leads all in an homage to the sea.
External links
- The libretto in French.
- French Wikipedia article explaining what a "flibustier" is.