Dinorah
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| Operas by Giacomo Meyerbeer |
|---|
Margherita d'Anjou (1820) |
Dinorah, ou Le pardon de Ploërmel is an opéra comique in three acts, music by Giacomo Meyerbeer, libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on a Breton legend Les chercheurs de trésor.
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[edit] Performance history
It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique (Salle Favart), in Paris, on April 4, 1859 under the title Le pardon de Ploërmel. The opera was translated in Italian for its premiere in London, on July 26,1859, and became internationally known as Dinorah. (It is also sometimes known as Les chercheurs de trésor.)
The opera was initially extremely popular and became a great favorite of Adelina Patti, but is nowadays virtually forgotten except for the famous virtuoso aria for soprano "Ombre légère", sometimes known as the Shadow Song as it is a one-sided 'duet' by Dinorah with her shadow. Other sopranos who have enjoyed considerable success with the role of Dinorah are Amelita Galli-Curci and Maria Barrientos.
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, April 4, 1859 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Chevrier | mezzo-soprano | Dupuy |
| Corentin | tenor | Charles-Louis Sainte-Foy |
| Dinorah | soprano | Marie-Jeanne-Josèphe Cabel |
| Goatherd | soprano | Marguerite Decroix |
| Hoël | baritone | Jean-Baptiste Faure |
| Huntsman | bass | Barielle |
| Reaper | tenor | Victor Warot |
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Act 1
In the Breton village of Ploërmel during the annual pilgrimage to the chapel of the Virgin. Dinorah has gone mad because her bridegroom Hoël disappeared following a storm that interrupted their wedding on the same day the previous year. Hoël returns to the village, having discovered the whereabouts of a treasure. He enlists Corentin to help him recover the riches, but not without sinister intent, since according to the legend, the first to touch them will perish.
[edit] Act 2
They descend upon the cache in a mysterious valley where Dinorah also happens to be. From her, Corentin learns about the legend, and later he and Hoël invite each other to inspect the treasure first. During that time, Dinorah in pursuit of her pet goat, steps on a tree trunk by a river as it is hit by lightning, and falls in the water and is swept away by the current. Hoël having witnessed the scene leaps to her rescue. In the last Act Hoël admits his love and regrets to Dinorah as she regains consciousness, she recognized him and regains her sanity. The villagers arrive and sing an hymn of forgiveness and lead the two lovers to the chapel where they will be married.
[edit] Selected recordings
- Dinorah - Deborah Cook (Dinorah), Christian du Plessis (Hoël), Alexander Young (Corentin) - Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, Philarmonia Orchestra - James Judd (conductor) - Opera Rara (1979)
- The aria "Ombre légère" has been recorded by most of the great coloratura sopranos of recent years, including Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Anna Moffo, to name but a few.
[edit] Sources
- Grove Music Online, Steven Huebner, Oxford University Press, 2008.
- Amadeus Almanac
