In association with the French Institute Alliance Française, Opera Lafayette will perform the modern world premiere of L'épreuve Villageoise (The Village Trial), presented in celebration of Lafayette's 20th anniversary season season on Wednesday, May 27 at 7:30 and Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m. at FIAF's Florence Gould Hall. That Saturday, May 30, the production heads south to the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater for two shows at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
André Grétry's opéra bouffon (to to a French libretto by Pierre Desforges) depicts the trials and tribulations of a small country town. The rustic story and charming musical composition blend beautifully, emphasizing an essential aspect of Grétry's comic work. The orignal story is set in the 18th century during the Courir de Mardis Gras (Fat Tuesday Run), New Orleans' extravagant celebration of the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
L'épreuve Villageoise tells the tale of a southern belle, Denise, and her mother, Mme. Hubert, who set out to settle scores with two amorous suitors. André, Denise's fiancé, is an honest tenor farmer with a jealous disposition, while the baritone La France is a vain overseer from the nearby plantation. Throughout the opera, the women thoroughly frustrate and confuse the men until each has learned his lesson.
Along the way, of course, Denise discovers the sincerity of her feelings for André.
Grétry's trial was celebrated by American audiences in early 18th-century New Orleans. Opera Lafayette re-imagines his 1784 two-acter as a touring production from the city's earliest opera house, the Saint Peter Street Theatre (now known as Le Petit Theatre.)
According to Ryan Brown, conductor and artistic director of Opera Lafayette, Thursday's performance will be followed by a special presentation from Laura Auricchio and Julia Doe. Auricchio, author of the recently published The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered, and Doe, a musicologist who specializes in opéra comique at Columbia, will conduct a post-concert lecture/interview that primarily discusses the early French influences on American culture and music in particular.
This updated version features a cast consisting of three different nationalities: the United States, France and Spain. Denise will be played by different sopranos each night, Sophie Junker and Pascale Beaudin, respectively. Junker is a Belgian singer whose operatic repetoire includes roles in Le nozze di Figaro, Fidelio, La Finta Giardiniera and Cosi fan tutte. Beaudin hails from Canada and began her career at the Opéra de Montréal in Don Giovanni and Un ballo in maschera.
For ticket information on the two New York dates, click here. For tickets to the two Washington, D.C. shows, click here.
Classicalites, just listen to the overture below. You'll not want to miss this jaunt, indeed.
