Le Cid (opera)
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Le Cid is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet, Édouard Blau and Adolphe d'Ennery. It is based on the play of the same name by Pierre Corneille.
It was first performed at the Opéra Comique in Paris on November 30, 1885 with Jean de Reszke as Rodrigue. While the opera itself is not in the standard operatic repertory, the ballet suite is a popular concert piece and includes the famous Aragonaise. Some consider the heroic subject matter of Le Cid less suited to Massenet's style than his other works. Still, it maintains a marginal place in the repertoire due mostly to the famous ballet suite and the 1976 recording with Plácido Domingo and Grace Bumbry of the live concert performance given on March 8 of that year in Carnegie Hall. A production by the Washington Opera, starring Domingo, was shown on PBS television in 2001.
Contents |
[edit] Principal characters
- Chimène - soprano
- La Infanta - soprano
- Rodrigue - tenor
- Don Diègue - baritone
- Le Roi - bass
- Le Comte de Gormas - bass
[edit] Original cast
| Premiere, 30 November 1885 (Altès) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Chimène | soprano | Mme Fidès-Devriès |
| Rodrigue | tenor | Jean de Reszke |
| Don Diègue | baritone | Edouard de Reszke |
| Le Roi | bass | Léon Melchissédec |
| Le comte de Gormas | bass | Pol Plançon |
| l'Infante | soprano | Mme Bosman |
[edit] Noted arias
- Act II - Rodrigue: "O noble lame étincelante"
- Act III - Chimène: "Pleurez, pleurez mes yeux"
- Act III - Rodrigue: "O souverain, o juge, o père"
[edit] References
- Le Cid at Jules-Massenet.com
- Public Domain Sheet Music from Le Cid at IMSLP
