Le roi malgré lui
Encyclopedia
Le roi malgré lui is an opéra-comique
in three acts by Emmanuel Chabrier
with an original libretto by Emile de Najac
and Paul Burani
. The opera is revived occasionally, but has not found a place in the repertory, mainly because of the poor libretto. However, the work has been greatly admired by composers including D'Indy, Ravel and Stravinsky.
. According to Victorin de Joncières, Chabrier had confided to him that he was looking for an amusing book to set. Joncières had been sent Le roi malgré lui, an old vaudeville of 1836 written by Marguerite-Louise Virginie Ancelot (1792–1875), by Ancelot's daughter Mme Lachaud. However, Joncières passed the play to Chabrier, and also introduced Chabrier to Léon Carvalho
, to whom Chabrier played some 'audition' pieces, which convinced the Opéra-Comique director to stage his work.
An article by Theodore Massiac described in some detail Chabrier's composition process for Le roi malgré lui. He carefully supervised the work of the librettists Paul Burani and Emile de Najac in adapting the Ancelot work. Burani would send drafts of scenes and songs to de Najac who would send back comments and changes to Burani, and when, after some exchanges of correspondence de Najac was happy, he would send words to Chabrier to set to music. At his home at La Membrolle
, Chabrier would read the words out loud in order to find the tone and rhythm of each piece and only after having played around with the text for some time would take up his pen and start composing. Chabrier did not compose at the piano – melody and rhythm came first with harmony later. He was particularly critical of being supplied with mute syllables. Finally, Jean Richepin
, an old friend of the composer, had a major part in helping provide Chabrier with a libretto he could feel happy with. Chabrier noted on his copy of the libretto "manuscript by three authors and even by me", going on to describe the libretto as "a bouillabaisse
of Najac and Burani, cooked by Richepin, into which I throw the spices".
The work is dedicated to Madame Victorin de Joncières
. It was one of several works by Chabrier to benefit from a poster by Jules Chéret
.
(Salle Favart) in Paris. After two more performances, on the 21 and 23 May, the Opéra-Comique theatre was ravaged by fire on 25 May, although the full score and orchestral parts were saved. The fourth performance was on the 16th November in a revised version at the Salle des Nations, where it had further performances up to 29 April 1888. This was the second time a premiere run of one of Chabrier's operas had been disrupted - Gwendoline had closed when the theatre went bankrupt.
The German premiere was in Karlsruhe
on 2 March 1890 under Felix Mottl
who also led a performance on 5 March at Baden
, and this was followed by productions in Dresden
on 26 April 1890 under Ernst von Schuch
, and in Cologne on 15 October 1891 under Julius Hofmann. The opera was produced on 9 March 1892 in Toulouse
under Armand Raynaud.
In 1929 after a 41-year absence from the Opéra-Comique repertoire, Albert Carré
revised the text, and a new version was performed there on 6 November to greater acclaim (the 50th performance at the theatre took place on 21 February 1937). There followed productions in Hamburg (17 April 1931), Brussels (16 May 1931) and Prague (27 August 1931). The first performance in Marseille took place during the war on 3 April 1942. André Cluytens
conducted a local premiere for Lyon on 25 February 1943, also conducting the work at the Opéra-Comique in 1947 and 1950. There was production in 1978 in Toulouse
conducted by Plasson
.
The American stage premiere was on 18 November 1976 at the Juilliard, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal
, with choreography by George Balanchine
. The British stage premiere had to wait until the centenary of the composer's death, when it was produced in an adaptation by Jeremy Sams
and Michael Wilcox
at Opera North
.
More recently, an Opéra de Lyon production of 2004 was adapted for a revival at the Opéra-Comique in April 2009.
The Polish people have elected a French noble, Henri de Valois, to become their king. In a castle near Krakow he awaits incognito his coronation.
French nobles are idly waiting for news from Krakow. Nangis, a friend of Henri, returns from the city, where he had been sent to drum up support for the future king. Although the ordinary people had been well-disposed towards Henri, the nobility, led by Count Albert Laski, seemed to be joining together to oppose him and support the other claimant to the throne, the Archduke of Austria. All except the Duke of Fritelli, a Venetian living in Poland, who has managed to become Henri's chamberlain while remaining in league with Laski.
Fritelli, busy with preparations for the coronation, enters. He pretends to Nangis that he does not know Laski, and, on learning of the king's continued homesickness cannot resist airing his views on the differences between the Poles and the French in a comic song.
After Fritelli has gone, Nangis confesses to his friends that during the eight days he has been away trying to raise an army, he has fallen in love with a charming girl, Minka, who unfortunately is a slave in Laski's household. Minka now enters, avoiding a pursuing sentry; she tells Nangis that she has only come for a moment but when Nangis takes this that she does not love him anymore she gently rebukes him and asks him to be patient. She promises to return later that day, but as she is about to leave, the king himself arrives and Nangis only has time to hide her in an ante room
.
The homesick king sings of his love for France, and says that he would do anything not to be king of Poland. Nangis reminds him that he has not always been so ill-disposed to the Poles; there was a certain lady Henri had known in Venice... Henri's fond memories are interrupted by the return of Fritelli, and it soon becomes apparent that the lady with whom Henri had a liaison in Venice soon became the wife of Fritelli in order to cover up the scandal of that affair.
When Henri and Nangis leave, Fritelli is naturally more determined than ever to rid Poland of Henri. His frenzy is cut short by the arrival of his wife, Alexina, who says that all is ready for Henri's departure: all Fritelli has to do is kidnap Henri and Laski's men will do rest. When the frightened Fritelli says he does not want glory - just a bit of affection, Alexina brushes his objections aside. They leave.
Minka comes out of hiding, but she bumps into the king (whom she doesn't know). She says she loves Monsieur Nangis but is worried that there is a plot against the king. Henri can hardly contain his delight, which increases more when she says that Fritelli is implicated. When Minka has left, Henri sends for Fritelli, and after some initial resistance he confesses the plot to Henri and tells him all he wants to know. Fritelli is astonished when Henri says that he too wishes to join the conspiracy; Fritelli is to introduce him to Laski as the Count de Nangis.
Trumpets sound and the French courtiers assemble. Henri has Nangis arrested, so as to be able to use his identity to conspire against the king. Nangis is led away.
Fritelli presents Henri (as Nangis) to his wife, Alexina, who recognizes him as the Frenchman with whom she had had an affair in Venice, years before. Minka's lone voice is heard off-stage, but as the curtain falls, Nangis manages to let slip his captors, jump out of a window and escape.
That evening, a ball is being held at Laski's house, under the cover of which Laski and his co-conspirators wish to complete the details for Henri's departure. When the dancing is over, the Duke and Duchess of Fritelli arrive and introduce a new conspirator as the Count de Nangis (in reality the king in disguise). Henri (as Nangis) tells them he is no longer Henri's friend but his greatest enemy.
Alone with Fritelli, Henri is astonished to discover for the first time that Alexina is married to Fritelli, but before he gets any further, Minka and other slave girls enter singing, during which the voice of the real Nangis (who should be under lock and key) is heard outside. Minka believes that Henri has become a traitor to the king but does not yet know his true identity. When she tries to leave to warn the real Nangis, Henri orders Fritelli to lock her up in an ante-room.
Alexina returns and Henri, to be alone with her, hurriedly sends her husband away. Alexina is still furious that Henri left her in Venice without a farewell but during the ensuing duet he gradually wins her round and their feelings are rekindled. They are interrupted first by Fritelli, then by Laski and the Poles who have come to swear in Henri as a conspirator. Henri assures Laski that there will be no problem is getting hold of the king - he will be here soon; all Henri needs is a few moments to arrange this.
Alone, Henri summons Minka and tells her that Nangis must come at once. Minka calls him - and he shortly climbs in through a window and is immediately arrested. Everyone, including Minka, is convinced he is the king and behaves accordingly; Nangis himself is mystified until - in asides - Henri commands him to play the part, which he does with relish. Henri tells Nangis that they are resolved that the king leave Poland forthwith. Laski then orders Nangis and Minka to leave. To the horror of the conspirators he tells them that the only way to ensure that the king does not return is to kill him that very night. They draw lots and Henri is chosen to do the deed, but at that moment Minka re-enters, and boldly announces that she has set Nangis (they think: the King) free, and the act closes with the fury of the Polish nobles, and Henri swearing again that he will get rid of the king.
The innkeeper Basile and his staff are preparing to receive the new king of Poland. Fritelli arrives, and informs them that the new king will not be Henri but the Archduke of Austria. Basile says it's all the same to him. Their cries of ‘long live the archduke’ are echoed by a stranger who has entered: Henri, making his escape from Poland. Fritelli is mystified by Henri’s enthusiasm for the archduke.
Henri, introducing himself to Basile as Nangis, sent in advance of the king, is stunned when he hears that he won't be able to complete his escape, as all the coaches were sent off to meet the Archduke, so he has to settle for a cart and an old nag, with a servant girl to show him the way.
Henri hears a coach approach outside and hides; it is Alexina who has arrived looking for her husband. She says she has changed sides and sent the Archduke back to Austria by telling him that the conspiracy has been discovered. Fritelli is not happy and accuses her of changing sides so as to continue her Venetian affair in Poland. A marital squabble ensues, after which Fritelli tells Alexina that her beloved ‘Nangis’ is disfigured after his murder of the king.
Minka arrives; Alexina is not able to tell her about the king's fate, and they join in a duet in which they worry about the fate of the men they love. Alexina finally tells her that the king (Nangis) is murdered. Minka collapses, as Basile arrives to say that the servant girl he had promised 'Nangis' to guide his way has gone to the Basilica to watch the coronation. Alexina determines to take her place.
Convinced that Nangis has been killed, Minka sings a lament for her lover – only for him to enter at its climax. After convincing her that he is not an apparition, the two join in an ecstatic duet. Minka tells Nangis that Alexina thinks the king has been killed. Nangis – believing that she means the real king – drags her off to find him.
Alexina enters dressed as a servant girl and meets Henri; Fritelli hurries them on their way, content to be rid of his rival, but his pleasure is short-lived as he learns that the servant-girl was his wife, and rushes off in pursuit of them both. Minka is mystified by all this until Nangis finally tells her who the real king is; and Henri is shortly brought back in, reconciled to becoming king and receiving the acclamation of the pages, lords and soldiers assembled.
and Catherine de Medicis
. In 1573, Henri was elected King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Three months after his coronation as King of Poland, upon the death of his brother Charles IX
, Henri secretly left Poland and returned to France, where he was crowned King on 13 February 1575, at Rheims Cathedral. In La Reine Margot, chapter LXV: Les Ambassadeurs, Dumas
conjures up the coronation of Henri in Krakow, and his unhappiness at being king.
(who claimed he could play the whole piece from memory) and Stravinsky
. Ravel claimed that "the premiere of Le roi malgré lui changed the course of French harmony". Harmonic progressions which were completely new in French music at the time, are used – most notably the use of unprepared and unresolved chords of the seventh and ninth, such as the very first chords of the Prelude. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica declared it ‘one of the finest opéras comiques of modern times’.
Grove
comments, "the brilliance of Chabrier’s music, often reminiscent of Berlioz and sometimes of Bizet, rests on a superbly crafted structure. The balance between romantic and comic episodes, a striking feature of all Chabrier's opera, is at its most perfect in Le roi malgré lui.
Chabrier’s music shows the evidence of the two paths of the composition, of both libretto and music – from opérette to opéra-comique. The original plan, around 1884, a light work in the style of L'étoile
was reinvigorated by Carvalho in 1886, into something grander and more dramatic with greater love interest.
Broadly comic passages typical of operetta remain – especially the couplets for Fritelli – but the work by Richepin on both dialogue and lyrics improved the literary tone of the work. However the mutation from opérette to opéra-comique gave Chabrier the chance to provide music of a serious harmonic intent, such as Minka and Alexina’s nocturne in Act 3 (described by Huebner as “one of the most beautiful numbers in fin-de-siècle French opera”), which flows lyrically over a large harmonic canvas. Likewise, in Act 1 Henri introduces himself through an air with has the character of a pavane.
Early changes to the score after the first performance included removing Alexina's demanding air “Pour vous je suis ambitieuse” in Act 1 and re-casting a rondeau for Henri and Alexina in Act 3 as a duet for Fritelli and Alexina in Act 1.
Musically the most diverse role is that of Minka; from the romance-like shape of her Act 1 entrance solo "Hélas, à l'esclavage" by way of the roulades, chromaticism and wide leaps of her 'Chanson tzigane' in Act 2, to the powerful operatic duet in Act 3 with Nangis. On the lighter side, musical parody occurs several times. The 'Ensemble de la conjuration' was compared by contemporary critics to the 'Bénédiction des poignards' in Les Huguenots
, while Fritelli’s Act 3 couplets end each verse with a quote from the Hungarian March
from La Damnation de Faust.
Huebner concludes his exploration of Le roi malgré lui by proposing that the collision of the traditions of opérette and opéra-comique results in "an explosion of pastiche, quotation, allusion, archaisms, dance rhythms of all kinds, Wagnerian chromaticisms, modernist parallel chords, patter singing", and for musical pleasure brackets Le roi malgré lui with Verdi’s Falstaff
.
The opera was not to the taste of Cosima Wagner
, who attended a 1890 performance in Dresden. She wrote to Felix Mottl
: "What vulgarity and lack of ideas. No performance in the world could conceal for an instant these trivialities."
Two orchestral extracts from the opera have from time to time found their way onto concert programmes and recordings : the Fête Polonaise and the Danse Slave.
Chabrier confided to Lecocq that the score of Le Roi was much better orchestrated than Gwendoline (although this did not prevent Ravel
proposing to Chabrier's sister-in-law, at the time of the 1929 revival, that he re-orchestrate the Fête Polonaise).
Radio broadcasts of the opera have included:
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 three acts by Emmanuel Chabrier
Emmanuel Chabrier
Emmanuel Chabrier was a French Romantic composer and pianist. Although known primarily for two of his orchestral works, España and Joyeuse marche, he left an important corpus of operas , songs, and piano music as well...
with an original libretto by Emile de Najac
Emile de Najac
Comte Émile de Najac was a French librettist. He was a prolific writer during 2nd Empire and early part of the 3rd Republic, supplying plays and opéra comique librettos, many in one act...
and Paul Burani
Paul Burani
Paul Burani , born 26 March 1845 in Paris and died 9 October 1901, was a French author, actor, song-writer and librettist.He collaborated on libretti for the following operas:...
. The opera is revived occasionally, but has not found a place in the repertory, mainly because of the poor libretto. However, the work has been greatly admired by composers including D'Indy, Ravel and Stravinsky.
Composition history
Around May 1883 Chabrier wrote to his publishers that for his next stage work he was hoping to create something like Offenbach’s successful 'grand fantaisie' Le roi CarotteLe roi Carotte
Le roi Carotte is a 4-act opéra-bouffe-féerie with music by Jacques Offenbach and libretto by Victorien Sardou, after E. T. A. Hoffmann. It premiered at the Théâtre de la Gaîté on 15 January 1872...
. According to Victorin de Joncières, Chabrier had confided to him that he was looking for an amusing book to set. Joncières had been sent Le roi malgré lui, an old vaudeville of 1836 written by Marguerite-Louise Virginie Ancelot (1792–1875), by Ancelot's daughter Mme Lachaud. However, Joncières passed the play to Chabrier, and also introduced Chabrier to Léon Carvalho
Léon Carvalho
Léon Carvalho was a French impresario and stage director.-Biography:Born Léon Carvaille in Port-Louis, Mauritius, he came to France at an early age...
, to whom Chabrier played some 'audition' pieces, which convinced the Opéra-Comique director to stage his work.
An article by Theodore Massiac described in some detail Chabrier's composition process for Le roi malgré lui. He carefully supervised the work of the librettists Paul Burani and Emile de Najac in adapting the Ancelot work. Burani would send drafts of scenes and songs to de Najac who would send back comments and changes to Burani, and when, after some exchanges of correspondence de Najac was happy, he would send words to Chabrier to set to music. At his home at La Membrolle
La Membrolle-sur-Choisille
La Membrolle-sur-Choisille is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.-See also:*Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department...
, Chabrier would read the words out loud in order to find the tone and rhythm of each piece and only after having played around with the text for some time would take up his pen and start composing. Chabrier did not compose at the piano – melody and rhythm came first with harmony later. He was particularly critical of being supplied with mute syllables. Finally, 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...
, an old friend of the composer, had a major part in helping provide Chabrier with a libretto he could feel happy with. Chabrier noted on his copy of the libretto "manuscript by three authors and even by me", going on to describe the libretto as "a bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is a seafood soup made with various kinds of cooked fish and shellfish and vegetables, flavored with a variety of herbs and spices such as garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron. Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of...
of Najac and Burani, cooked by Richepin, into which I throw the spices".
The work is dedicated to Madame Victorin de Joncières
Victorin de Joncières
Félix-Ludger Rossignol, known as Victorin de Joncières was a French composer and music critic.-Biography:...
. It was one of several works by Chabrier to benefit from a poster by Jules Chéret
Jules Chéret
Jules Chéret was a French painter and lithographer who became a master of Belle Époque poster art. He has been called the father of the modern poster. -Biography:...
.
Performance history
The premiere was on 18 May 1887 at the Opéra-ComiqueOpéra-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...
(Salle Favart) in Paris. After two more performances, on the 21 and 23 May, the Opéra-Comique theatre was ravaged by fire on 25 May, although the full score and orchestral parts were saved. The fourth performance was on the 16th November in a revised version at the Salle des Nations, where it had further performances up to 29 April 1888. This was the second time a premiere run of one of Chabrier's operas had been disrupted - Gwendoline had closed when the theatre went bankrupt.
The German premiere was in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
on 2 March 1890 under Felix Mottl
Felix Mottl
Felix Josef von Mottl was an Austrian conductor and composer. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed three operas, of which Agnes Bernauer was the most successful, as well as a string quartet and numerous songs and other music...
who also led a performance on 5 March at Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, and this was followed by productions in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
on 26 April 1890 under Ernst von Schuch
Ernst von Schuch
Ernst Edler von Schuch, born Ernst Gottfried Schuch was an Austrian conductor, who became famous through his working collaborations with Richard Strauss at the Dresden Court Opera....
, and in Cologne on 15 October 1891 under Julius Hofmann. The opera was produced on 9 March 1892 in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
under Armand Raynaud.
In 1929 after a 41-year absence from the Opéra-Comique repertoire, Albert Carré
Albert Carré
Albert Carré was a French theatre director, opera director, actor and librettist. He was the nephew of librettist Michel Carré and cousin of cinema director Michel Antoine Carré...
revised the text, and a new version was performed there on 6 November to greater acclaim (the 50th performance at the theatre took place on 21 February 1937). There followed productions in Hamburg (17 April 1931), Brussels (16 May 1931) and Prague (27 August 1931). The first performance in Marseille took place during the war on 3 April 1942. André Cluytens
André Cluytens
André Cluytens was a Belgian-born French conductor who was active in the concert hall, opera house and recording studio. His repertoire extended from Viennese classics through French composers to 20th century works...
conducted a local premiere for Lyon on 25 February 1943, also conducting the work at the Opéra-Comique in 1947 and 1950. There was production in 1978 in Toulouse
Capitole de Toulouse
The Capitole de Toulouse is the heart of the municipal administration of the French city of Toulouse.The Capitouls of the Toulouse embarked on the construction of the original building in 1190, to provide a seat for the government of a province growing in wealth and influence...
conducted by Plasson
Michel Plasson
Michel Plasson is a French conductor.Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. He studied briefly in the United States, including time with Charles Münch...
.
The American stage premiere was on 18 November 1976 at the Juilliard, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal
Manuel Rosenthal
Manuel Rosenthal was a French composer and conductor who held leading positions with musical organizations in France and America...
, with choreography by George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
. The British stage premiere had to wait until the centenary of the composer's death, when it was produced in an adaptation by Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams is a British film director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer, and lyricist....
and Michael Wilcox
Michael Wilcox
Michael Wilcox, born on 6 June 1943 in Totnes, Devon, is a British playwright.He was resident playwright at the Dovecot Arts Centre in Stockton-on-Tees for the 1977 season.In 1980, he was resident playwright at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh....
at Opera North
Opera North
Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. The company's home theatre is the Leeds Grand Theatre, but it also presents regular seasons in several other cities, at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, the Lowry Centre, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle...
.
More recently, an Opéra de Lyon production of 2004 was adapted for a revival at the Opéra-Comique in April 2009.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 18 May 1887 (Conductor: Jules Danbé Jules Danbé Jules Danbé was a French conductor, mainly of opera, born in Caen on 16 November 1840, and died 30 October 1905. Trained as a violinist, he was a pupil of Girard and Savard, in 1859 winning a first prize for violin... ) |
Revised Paris premiere, 6 November 1929 (Conductor: Louis Masson) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henri de Valois, ‘’King of Poland’’ | 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... |
Max Bouvet Max Bouvet Maximilien-Nicolas Bouvet was a French operatic baritone.Bouvet was born at La Rochelle. In 1875 he appeared at the Eldorado café-concert in Paris with the song Les myrtes son flétries by Gustave Nadaud and de Faure.... |
Roger Bourdin Roger Bourdin Roger Bourdin was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory. His career was largely based in France.- Life and career :... |
| Comte de Nangis, a friend of Henri | 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... |
Louis Delaquerrière Louis Delaquerrière Louis-Achille Delaquerrière, born in Les Loges, France 25 February 1858, died 1937 was a French opera singer, and later a teacher active in France.-Life and career:... |
Marcel Claudel |
| Minka, slave girl of Laski | 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... |
Adèle Isaac Adèle Isaac Adèle Isaac was a French operatic soprano, active in Paris in the late 19th century.Isaac was born in Calais. After studying with Gilbert Duprez, her professional debut was in 1870 in Victor Massé's Les noces de Jeannette at the Théatre Montmartre... |
Yvonne Brothier Yvonne Brothier Yvonne Brothier was a soprano operatic singer who worked principally at the Opéra-Comique, Paris.... |
| Alexina, Duchess of Fritelli and niece of Laski | soprano | Cécile Mézeray | Jeanne Guyla |
| Laski, a Polish noble, Minka's owner | bass | Joseph Thiérry | Jean Vieuille Jean Vieuille Jean Vieuille was a French Bass-Baritone, born Paris, 14 February 1902, died St Georges de Didonne, 6 April 1967.His teachers were Albert Carré, Léon David and Félix Vieuille... |
| Duc de Fritelli, an Italian noble, husband of Alexina, chamberlain to the King | baritone | Lucien Fugère Lucien Fugère Lucien Fugère was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory and Mozart roles, he enjoyed an exceptionally long career, singing into his 80s.- Life and career :... |
Louis Musy Louis Musy Louis Musy was a French operatic baritone and stage director principally active at the Paris Opéra-Comique... |
| Basile, innkeeper | tenor | Barnolt Barnolt Barnolt was the stage name of Paul Fleuret , a French operatic tenor associated with the Opéra-Comique in Paris.-Career:After a year of study at the Paris Conservatoire, where his teachers included Charles Bataille, Barnolt made his debut at the Folies-Marigny and further appearances at the... |
Paul Payen |
| Liancourt, a French noble | tenor | Victor Caisso | Mathyl |
| d'Elboeuf, a French noble | tenor | Michaud | Alban Derroja |
| Maugiron, a French noble | baritone | Collin | Émile Roque |
| Comte de Caylus, a French noble | baritone | Étienne Troy | Roland Laignez |
| Marquis de Villequier, a French noble | bass | Mathieu Émile Balanqué | André Balbon |
| A soldier | bass | Cambot | Raymond Gilles |
| Six servant girls | soprano, mezzo | Mary, Auguez de Montaland, Balanqué, Esposito, Baria, Orea Nardi | Jany Delille, Quénet, |
| Pages, French nobles, Polish nobles, Soldiers, Serfs and Servants, People | |||
Act 1
A castle outside Krakow, in 1574The Polish people have elected a French noble, Henri de Valois, to become their king. In a castle near Krakow he awaits incognito his coronation.
French nobles are idly waiting for news from Krakow. Nangis, a friend of Henri, returns from the city, where he had been sent to drum up support for the future king. Although the ordinary people had been well-disposed towards Henri, the nobility, led by Count Albert Laski, seemed to be joining together to oppose him and support the other claimant to the throne, the Archduke of Austria. All except the Duke of Fritelli, a Venetian living in Poland, who has managed to become Henri's chamberlain while remaining in league with Laski.
Fritelli, busy with preparations for the coronation, enters. He pretends to Nangis that he does not know Laski, and, on learning of the king's continued homesickness cannot resist airing his views on the differences between the Poles and the French in a comic song.
After Fritelli has gone, Nangis confesses to his friends that during the eight days he has been away trying to raise an army, he has fallen in love with a charming girl, Minka, who unfortunately is a slave in Laski's household. Minka now enters, avoiding a pursuing sentry; she tells Nangis that she has only come for a moment but when Nangis takes this that she does not love him anymore she gently rebukes him and asks him to be patient. She promises to return later that day, but as she is about to leave, the king himself arrives and Nangis only has time to hide her in an ante room
Antechamber
An antechamber is a smaller room or vestibule serving as an entryway into a larger one. The word is formed of the Latin ante camera, meaning "room before"....
.
The homesick king sings of his love for France, and says that he would do anything not to be king of Poland. Nangis reminds him that he has not always been so ill-disposed to the Poles; there was a certain lady Henri had known in Venice... Henri's fond memories are interrupted by the return of Fritelli, and it soon becomes apparent that the lady with whom Henri had a liaison in Venice soon became the wife of Fritelli in order to cover up the scandal of that affair.
When Henri and Nangis leave, Fritelli is naturally more determined than ever to rid Poland of Henri. His frenzy is cut short by the arrival of his wife, Alexina, who says that all is ready for Henri's departure: all Fritelli has to do is kidnap Henri and Laski's men will do rest. When the frightened Fritelli says he does not want glory - just a bit of affection, Alexina brushes his objections aside. They leave.
Minka comes out of hiding, but she bumps into the king (whom she doesn't know). She says she loves Monsieur Nangis but is worried that there is a plot against the king. Henri can hardly contain his delight, which increases more when she says that Fritelli is implicated. When Minka has left, Henri sends for Fritelli, and after some initial resistance he confesses the plot to Henri and tells him all he wants to know. Fritelli is astonished when Henri says that he too wishes to join the conspiracy; Fritelli is to introduce him to Laski as the Count de Nangis.
Trumpets sound and the French courtiers assemble. Henri has Nangis arrested, so as to be able to use his identity to conspire against the king. Nangis is led away.
Fritelli presents Henri (as Nangis) to his wife, Alexina, who recognizes him as the Frenchman with whom she had had an affair in Venice, years before. Minka's lone voice is heard off-stage, but as the curtain falls, Nangis manages to let slip his captors, jump out of a window and escape.
Act 2
The ballroom of the palace of the Count Albert LaskiThat evening, a ball is being held at Laski's house, under the cover of which Laski and his co-conspirators wish to complete the details for Henri's departure. When the dancing is over, the Duke and Duchess of Fritelli arrive and introduce a new conspirator as the Count de Nangis (in reality the king in disguise). Henri (as Nangis) tells them he is no longer Henri's friend but his greatest enemy.
Alone with Fritelli, Henri is astonished to discover for the first time that Alexina is married to Fritelli, but before he gets any further, Minka and other slave girls enter singing, during which the voice of the real Nangis (who should be under lock and key) is heard outside. Minka believes that Henri has become a traitor to the king but does not yet know his true identity. When she tries to leave to warn the real Nangis, Henri orders Fritelli to lock her up in an ante-room.
Alexina returns and Henri, to be alone with her, hurriedly sends her husband away. Alexina is still furious that Henri left her in Venice without a farewell but during the ensuing duet he gradually wins her round and their feelings are rekindled. They are interrupted first by Fritelli, then by Laski and the Poles who have come to swear in Henri as a conspirator. Henri assures Laski that there will be no problem is getting hold of the king - he will be here soon; all Henri needs is a few moments to arrange this.
Alone, Henri summons Minka and tells her that Nangis must come at once. Minka calls him - and he shortly climbs in through a window and is immediately arrested. Everyone, including Minka, is convinced he is the king and behaves accordingly; Nangis himself is mystified until - in asides - Henri commands him to play the part, which he does with relish. Henri tells Nangis that they are resolved that the king leave Poland forthwith. Laski then orders Nangis and Minka to leave. To the horror of the conspirators he tells them that the only way to ensure that the king does not return is to kill him that very night. They draw lots and Henri is chosen to do the deed, but at that moment Minka re-enters, and boldly announces that she has set Nangis (they think: the King) free, and the act closes with the fury of the Polish nobles, and Henri swearing again that he will get rid of the king.
Act 3
An inn between Krakow and the Polish frontierThe innkeeper Basile and his staff are preparing to receive the new king of Poland. Fritelli arrives, and informs them that the new king will not be Henri but the Archduke of Austria. Basile says it's all the same to him. Their cries of ‘long live the archduke’ are echoed by a stranger who has entered: Henri, making his escape from Poland. Fritelli is mystified by Henri’s enthusiasm for the archduke.
Henri, introducing himself to Basile as Nangis, sent in advance of the king, is stunned when he hears that he won't be able to complete his escape, as all the coaches were sent off to meet the Archduke, so he has to settle for a cart and an old nag, with a servant girl to show him the way.
Henri hears a coach approach outside and hides; it is Alexina who has arrived looking for her husband. She says she has changed sides and sent the Archduke back to Austria by telling him that the conspiracy has been discovered. Fritelli is not happy and accuses her of changing sides so as to continue her Venetian affair in Poland. A marital squabble ensues, after which Fritelli tells Alexina that her beloved ‘Nangis’ is disfigured after his murder of the king.
Minka arrives; Alexina is not able to tell her about the king's fate, and they join in a duet in which they worry about the fate of the men they love. Alexina finally tells her that the king (Nangis) is murdered. Minka collapses, as Basile arrives to say that the servant girl he had promised 'Nangis' to guide his way has gone to the Basilica to watch the coronation. Alexina determines to take her place.
Convinced that Nangis has been killed, Minka sings a lament for her lover – only for him to enter at its climax. After convincing her that he is not an apparition, the two join in an ecstatic duet. Minka tells Nangis that Alexina thinks the king has been killed. Nangis – believing that she means the real king – drags her off to find him.
Alexina enters dressed as a servant girl and meets Henri; Fritelli hurries them on their way, content to be rid of his rival, but his pleasure is short-lived as he learns that the servant-girl was his wife, and rushes off in pursuit of them both. Minka is mystified by all this until Nangis finally tells her who the real king is; and Henri is shortly brought back in, reconciled to becoming king and receiving the acclamation of the pages, lords and soldiers assembled.
History and fiction
Henri de Valois (1551–1589) was the third son of Henri IIHenry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
and Catherine de Medicis
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was Queen consort of France from 1547 until 1559, as the wife of King Henry II of France....
. In 1573, Henri was elected King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Three months after his coronation as King of Poland, upon the death of his brother Charles IX
Charles IX of France
Charles IX was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. His reign was dominated by the Wars of Religion. He is best known as king at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.-Childhood:...
, Henri secretly left Poland and returned to France, where he was crowned King on 13 February 1575, at Rheims Cathedral. In La Reine Margot, chapter LXV: Les Ambassadeurs, Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
conjures up the coronation of Henri in Krakow, and his unhappiness at being king.
The music
The music has been greatly admired by musicians such as RavelMaurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
(who claimed he could play the whole piece from memory) and Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
. Ravel claimed that "the premiere of Le roi malgré lui changed the course of French harmony". Harmonic progressions which were completely new in French music at the time, are used – most notably the use of unprepared and unresolved chords of the seventh and ninth, such as the very first chords of the Prelude. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica declared it ‘one of the finest opéras comiques of modern times’.
Grove
New Grove Dictionary of Opera
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
comments, "the brilliance of Chabrier’s music, often reminiscent of Berlioz and sometimes of Bizet, rests on a superbly crafted structure. The balance between romantic and comic episodes, a striking feature of all Chabrier's opera, is at its most perfect in Le roi malgré lui.
Chabrier’s music shows the evidence of the two paths of the composition, of both libretto and music – from opérette to opéra-comique. The original plan, around 1884, a light work in the style of L'étoile
L'étoile
L'étoile is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Emmanuel Chabrier with a libretto by Eugène Leterrier and Albert Vanloo.Chabrier met his librettists at the home of a mutual friend, the painter Gaston Hirsh, in 1875...
was reinvigorated by Carvalho in 1886, into something grander and more dramatic with greater love interest.
Broadly comic passages typical of operetta remain – especially the couplets for Fritelli – but the work by Richepin on both dialogue and lyrics improved the literary tone of the work. However the mutation from opérette to opéra-comique gave Chabrier the chance to provide music of a serious harmonic intent, such as Minka and Alexina’s nocturne in Act 3 (described by Huebner as “one of the most beautiful numbers in fin-de-siècle French opera”), which flows lyrically over a large harmonic canvas. Likewise, in Act 1 Henri introduces himself through an air with has the character of a pavane.
Early changes to the score after the first performance included removing Alexina's demanding air “Pour vous je suis ambitieuse” in Act 1 and re-casting a rondeau for Henri and Alexina in Act 3 as a duet for Fritelli and Alexina in Act 1.
Musically the most diverse role is that of Minka; from the romance-like shape of her Act 1 entrance solo "Hélas, à l'esclavage" by way of the roulades, chromaticism and wide leaps of her 'Chanson tzigane' in Act 2, to the powerful operatic duet in Act 3 with Nangis. On the lighter side, musical parody occurs several times. The 'Ensemble de la conjuration' was compared by contemporary critics to the 'Bénédiction des poignards' in Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots is a French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, one of the most popular and spectacular examples of the style of grand opera. The opera is in five acts and premiered in Paris in 1836. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps....
, while Fritelli’s Act 3 couplets end each verse with a quote from the Hungarian March
Rákóczi March
The "Rákóczi March" is the unofficial state anthem of Hungary.The first version of this march-song was probably created around 1730 by one or more anonymous composers, although tradition says that it was the favourite march of Francis Rákóczi II...
from La Damnation de Faust.
Huebner concludes his exploration of Le roi malgré lui by proposing that the collision of the traditions of opérette and opéra-comique results in "an explosion of pastiche, quotation, allusion, archaisms, dance rhythms of all kinds, Wagnerian chromaticisms, modernist parallel chords, patter singing", and for musical pleasure brackets Le roi malgré lui with Verdi’s Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
.
The opera was not to the taste of Cosima Wagner
Cosima Wagner
Cosima Francesca Gaetana Wagner, née de Flavigny, from 1844 known as Cosima Liszt; was the daughter of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt...
, who attended a 1890 performance in Dresden. She wrote to Felix Mottl
Felix Mottl
Felix Josef von Mottl was an Austrian conductor and composer. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed three operas, of which Agnes Bernauer was the most successful, as well as a string quartet and numerous songs and other music...
: "What vulgarity and lack of ideas. No performance in the world could conceal for an instant these trivialities."
Two orchestral extracts from the opera have from time to time found their way onto concert programmes and recordings : the Fête Polonaise and the Danse Slave.
Orchestration
Strings, 2 flutes (2 piccolos), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 cornets à piston, 3 trombones, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, triangle, side drum), 2 harps.Chabrier confided to Lecocq that the score of Le Roi was much better orchestrated than Gwendoline (although this did not prevent Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
proposing to Chabrier's sister-in-law, at the time of the 1929 revival, that he re-orchestrate the Fête Polonaise).
Recordings
- Erato, 1984: Gino QuilicoGino QuilicoGino Quilico, OC is a Canadian lyric baritone of Italian descent and the son of Canadian baritone Louis Quilico and Lina Pizzolongo.-Early life:...
(Henri de Valois), Peter Jeffes (Comte de Nangis), Barbara HendricksBarbara HendricksBarbara Hendricks is an African American operatic soprano and concert singer. Hendricks has lived in Europe since 1977, and in Switzerland on Lake Geneva since 1985, She is a citizen of Sweden.-Early life and education:...
(Minka), Isabel Garcisanz (Alexina), Jean-Philippe Lafont (Fritelli), Chris de Moor (Laski); Choeur de Radio France, Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio FranceOrchestre Philharmonique de Radio FranceThe Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France is a French radio orchestra providing music for Radio France. It specializes in contemporary music and was founded in 1937.- Names of the orchestra :*Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France...
conducted by Charles DutoitCharles DutoitCharles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
, réf. 2292-45792-2.
Radio broadcasts of the opera have included:
- French radio, 1969. Bernard Demigny (Henri de Valois), Bernard Plantey (Comte de Nangis), Odile Pieti (Minka), Jacqueline BrumaireJacqueline BrumaireJacqueline Brumaire was a French operatic soprano and later teacher.-Life and career:...
(Alexina), Aimé Doniat (Fritelli), Jacques Mars (Laski); Chœur et Orchestre lyrique de la RTF, Pierre-Michel Le Conte - BBC broadcast, 1972. Henri Gui (Henri de Valois), André Mallabrera (Comte de Nangis), Odile Pieti (Minka), Christiane Stutzman (Alexina), Michel TrempontMichel TrempontMichel Trempont is a Belgian operatic baritone whose repertoire extends from the 18th century to the creation of contemporary works. His brother was Pol Trempont , operatic tenor and one time director of the Théâtre de Mons.-Life and career:After studies with Rogatchewsky, Trempont made his debut...
(Fritelli), Neil HowlettNeil HowlettNeil Howlett is a retired English operatic baritone who has sung leading roles in major opera houses and festivals in the UK and abroad, including the Royal Opera House, Teatro Colón, and the English National Opera, where he was the Principal Baritone for seventeen years...
(Laski); BBC Northern Singers, BBC Northern Symphony OrchestraBBC PhilharmonicThe BBC Philharmonic is a British broadcasting symphony orchestra based at Media City UK, Salford, England. It is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the Bridgewater Hall....
, conducted by Manuel RosenthalManuel RosenthalManuel Rosenthal was a French composer and conductor who held leading positions with musical organizations in France and America...
.