La cour de Célimène
| La cour de Célimène | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Ambroise Thomas | |
The composer
|
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| Description | opéra comique |
| Librettist | Joseph-Bernard Rosier |
| Language | French |
| Premiere | 11 April 1855 Opéra-Comique, Paris |
La cour de Célimène (The Court of Célimène), also known as Les douze (The dozen) is an opéra comique in two acts by French composer Ambroise Thomas. The original French libretto was by Joseph-Bernard Rosier (1804–1880). The principal character, the Countess, is not named, but her nickname in the opera, Célimène, refers to a character in Molière's drama Le Misanthrope who has a large number of suitors.
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 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.
The Countess's garden in the evening
Twelve of the Countess's admirers are expecting her to arrive soon. There are four breeches role 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, 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.
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