| Jules Massenet |
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Operas
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Thérèse is an opera in two acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie. It was first performed at the Opéra in Monte Carlo on 7 February 1907, with Lucy Arbell in the title role. For the Paris premiere at the Opera Comique in 1911, Arbell and Clément repeated their roles, while the off-stage harpsichord in the minuet was played by Louis Diémer.[1]
Thérèse belongs to Massenet's later works that are considered outmoded for their date of composition, although the piece has spawned a number of recent revivals and recordings, most notably the 1973 recording with Huguette Tourangeau in the title role, under the baton of Massenet champion, Richard Bonynge.
Contents |
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast[2], February 7, 1907 (Conductor: Léon Jehin) |
|---|---|---|
| Thérèse | mezzo-soprano | Lucy Arbell |
| Armand de Clerval | tenor | Edmond Clément |
| Morel | baritone | Victor Chalmin |
| André Thorel | bass | Hector Dufranne |
| City official | baritone | |
| Officer | tenor | Gluck |
| Another officer | ||
| A male and a female voice offstage; chorus: Soldiers. | ||
The story takes place during the French Revolution and concerns Thérèse, who is torn between duty and affection, between her husband André Thorel, a Girondist, and her lover, the nobleman Armand de Clerval. Although she had decided to follow her lover into exile, when her husband is being led to execution she shouts "Vive le roi!" (Long live the king!) amid the frenzied crowd and is dragged to her husband's side and marched to the guillotine.