Étienne Méhul |
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Operas
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Le jeune sage et le vieux fou (The Wise Young Man and the Old Fool) is an opera by the French composer Étienne Méhul with a libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman. It takes the form of a comédie mêlée de musique (a type of opéra comique) in one act. It was first performed at the Théâtre Favart on 28 March 1793. A revised version appeared in 1801.[1]
The opera was well received. A review in the Chronique de Paris of 1 April described the music as "by turns original, witty and romantic."[2] According to David Cairns, this marks the first reference to Romanticism in music.[3] The overture musically depicts the two main characters: unaccompanied flutes represent the wise young man and cellos, trombones and basses the old fool. Variations on these themes recur throughout the score.[4]
The overture appears on: Méhul Overtures, Orchestre de Bretagne, conducted by Stefan Sanderling (ASV, 2002) Catalogue number CD DCA 1140.