Pierre le Grand
André Grétry |
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Operas
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Roles
Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, January 13, 1790 (Conductor: - ) |
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Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia | tenor | |
Catherine | soprano | Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre |
François Lefort | bass | |
Georges | bass | |
Géneviève | soprano | |
Caroline | soprano | |
Alexis | tenor | |
Menshikoff | spoken | |
Maturin | tenor | |
Synopsis
The plot tells how the young Tsar Peter disguised himself as a carpenter to work in a Russian shipyard where he fell in love with and married a peasant girl, Catherine (later the Empress Catherine I). Bouilly was working on his play at the time the French Revolution was breaking out in 1789 and the work reflects the political events of the day. Tsar Peter is intended to symbolise King Louis XVI, Catherine is Marie Antoinette and the Swiss Le Fort alludes to the Genevan financier Jacques Necker, who had attempted to reform the French economy. Peter and Catherine are depicted as ideal figures, deeply concerned for the welfare of the common people, and the liberal Bouilly clearly hoped the French king and queen would follow their example.
Recordings
- (La jeunesse de) Pierre le Grand — Christophe Einhorn, Anne-Sophie Schmidt, Philippe Le Chevalier, Namur Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Olivier Opdebeeck (CD on Cascavelle or DVD on Disques DOM, 2001, live in Compiègne)
- Pierre le Grand — Maxim Mironov, Elena Voznessenskaya, Nikolai Galin, Chorus and Orchestra of Helikon Opera, conducted by Sergey Stadler (DVD on Arthaus, 101 097, shot in Moscow in 2002)
References
- Amadeus Almanac, accessed 14 March 2011
- Kehrmann, Boris: Booklet notes to the DVD recording.