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Henry III, king of France, while detained at the Louvre as a hostage of peace between the two sovereigns, has been accompanied by
Isabelle de Montal, a Béarnaise countess. The King of Navarre sends as envoy the Baron de Mergy, a young Béarnaise gentleman, to recall his Queen and her lady-in-waiting Isabelle. Resting after his arrival at Étampes, near Paris, Mergy meets Cantarelli, an Italian, the director of the court festivities and deportment tutor to Isabelle, who informs Mergy of the news from the court concerning Isabelle. The rough swordsman Comminge, a colonel and royal favourite also arrives, angry at having been kept away from the royal hunt by a challenge to a duel from a young man, whom he had killed. Next Marguerite and Isabelle, having been with the royal hunting party in the forest, come to visit Nicette. The Queen expresses her concerns for Isabelle's unhappiness and rejection of suitors at court. Isabelle responds that she wishes to return home; Marguerite however informs her of the plans to marry Isabelle to Comminge. When Isabelle reacts to this news, Mergy comes to her and the lovers embrace; their emotion causes suspicion in Comminge, to whom Mergy is introduced as Henri III's messenger. Marguerite invites Nicette to the Louvre to claim her dowry.
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Nicette and Girot. Cantarelli is blackmailed into assisting them by means of an incriminating letter. During the masked ball
Cantarelli will bring Mergy to Marguerite’s chambers whence they will flee to a country church. However Comminge’s suspicions bring him to confront Cantarelli whom he threatens if he discovers a conspiracy to rob him of Isabelle. Comminge is misled by Cantarelli into believing the love intrigue is between Mergy and Marguerite. Now a message arrives refusing Isabelle’s departure with Marguerite – the countess must marry Comminge, and Mergy is ordered to return. Mergy, slighted by an offer from Comminge to assist him in meeting the Queen, challenges the colonel to a duel at dawn at the Pré-aux-Clercs. Nonetheless the curtain falls with some hope for the young lovers as Nicette informs Mergy that Marguerite is resolute in her plans for them to wed after Nicette and Girot.
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329:
not
Marguerite, and the discovery that they are in fact wed makes the colonel even more furious. Comminge falls and his body is put on a boat to be taken to Chaillot to be received by the monks. Cantarelli comes to announce the result of the duel, as the boat passes, and all believe Mergy to be dead. However, the joy of his victory joins with that of the wedding celebration and Isabelle and Mergy flee to Navarre with Cantarelli as their guide.
328:
The wedding festivities for
Nicette and Girot are under way and at the chapel Mergy and Isabelle are secretly wed. Cantarelli arrives with passports for the pair’s escape then leaves to act as second for Comminge’s duel with Mergy. During the duel Comminge learns that it is Isabelle whom Mergy loves,
360:
A historic (1959) French studio recording was released on CD in 2017, with Denise
Boursin (Isabella), Joseph Peyron (de Mergy), Berthe Monmart (Marguerite), Lucien Lovano (Girot), Claudine Collart (Nicette) and Gaston Rey (Contarelli) in the main roles, with the Chorus and Orchestra of RTF Paris,
319:
Isabelle sings of her love for Mergy ("Jours de mon enfance"). Marguerite meanwhile is plotting with
Nicette and Cantarelli to marry Isabelle to Mergy in secret and secure their flight to Navarre. The marriage is fixed to take place at the chapel of the Pré-aux-Clercs, simultaneously with that of
310:
The opera opens at
Nicette’s country inn where festivities anticipate the wedding of Nicette (the god-daughter of Marguerite) and Girot, the host of the famous Pré-aux-Clercs in Paris – known both for lovers’ rendez-vous and for duels. Marguerite, wife of Henry IV, king of Navarre, and sister to
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on 15 December 1832. After the first performance the leading lady, Madame
Casimir, refused – after unsuccessfully demanding more money – to sing in the subsequent performances, and
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135:, where it was conducted by Jean-Luc Tingaud as part of the 2015 festival, and subsequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
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of the Opéra was coached by Hérold over five days to take over the role of
Isabelle. According to Hérold's biographer
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label, with Marie
Lenormand (Marguerite de Valois), Marie-Eve Munger (Isabelle Montal), Jeanne Crousaud (Nicette),
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in 1840, and enjoying some 1,000 performances up to 1871, and reaching its 1,600th at the Opéra-Comique by 1949.
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90:, this incident exacerbated the composer's ill-health, leading to his death five weeks after the premiere.
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A 2015 studio recording based on the Opéra-Comique production was released in 2016 on the
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Chorus: Guards, officers, light horsemen, courtiers, archers, masques, people, dancers.
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The opera, Hérold's last completed one, was very successful, inaugurating the new
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Biographie universelle des musiciens et Bibliographie générale de la musique par
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Though rarely performed in recent years, a studio production conducted by
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345:(Baron de Mergy), Emiliano Gonzalez Toro (Comte de Comminges),
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576:"Valentino, Henri Justin Armand Joseph", vol. 4, p. 214
302:and the grounds of the 'Pré aux clercs', in 1582.
186:Alphonsine-Virginie-Marie Dubois ('Mme. Casimir')
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497:Violin solos were played by Javault, a pupil of
526:Notes to Cantus Classicus CD set CACD 5.01956 F
349:(Cantarelli), Christian Helmer (Girot) and the
592:"Valentino (Henri-Justin-Joseph)", pp. 597–598
432:Blanmont, Nicolas. Report from Paris, France.
123:in March 2015, directed by Éric Ruf, with the
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540:The Complete Dictionary of Opera and Operetta
178:Isabelle Montal (a young Béarnaise countess)
403:Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900-1950).
719:Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique
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152:Premiere Cast, 15 December 1832
724:Operas based on works by Prosper Mérimée
17:
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542:, James Anderson, (Wings Books, 1993)
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613:
454:, January 2016, Vol 67 No. 1, p54-58.
450:. Report from 2015 Wexford Festival.
380:Hérold, biographie critique illustrée
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239:Girot (host of the 'Pré aux clercs')
119:The opera was performed at the Paris
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383:, Henri Laurens, Paris, 1906, p. 122
581:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians
564:. L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia
438:, July 2015, Vol 66 No. 7, p859-60.
13:
465:"Afternoon on 3: 26 November 2015"
53:François-Antoine-Eugène de Planard
14:
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510:Notes to Bru Zane CD set ES 1025
210:Étienne-Bernard-Auguste Thénard
61:Chronique du temps de Charles IX
602:, vol. 2. Paris: Firmin-Didot.
584:, 4 volumes. London: Macmillan.
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361:conducted by Robert Benedetti.
173:Marie-Sophie Carrault-Ponchard
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252:Un exempt du guet (detective)
131:, in a co-production with the
74:was premiered in Paris by the
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191:Nicette (betrothed to Girot)
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488:Pougin 1880; Chouquet 1889.
289:
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704:Operas by Ferdinand Hérold
600:. Supplément et complément
552:Casaglia, Gherardo (2005).
294:The action takes place in
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405:André Bonne, Paris, 1953.
353:and Chorus, conducted by
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223:Louis-Augustin Lemonnier
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392:Pougin, op. cit, p. 111
298:, then in Paris at the
699:French-language operas
423:, November 1987, 1338.
133:Wexford Festival Opera
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417:. On Radio - review.
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729:Operas set in France
448:Wheatcroft, Geoffrey
351:Gulbenkian Orchestra
164:Marguerite de Valois
156:Henri Valentino
125:Gulbenkian Orchestra
675:(completed 1833 by
215:Comte de Comminges
67:Performance history
80:Salle de la Bourse
37:The Clerks' Meadow
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686:
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664:Le pré aux clercs
572:Chouquet, Gustave
562:15 December 1832"
556:Le pré aux clercs
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104:was broadcast by
72:Le pré aux clercs
43:in three acts by
32:Le pré aux clercs
22:2015 production,
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641:Ferdinand Hérold
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606:at Google Books.
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116:among the cast.
45:Ferdinand Hérold
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108:in 1987, with
102:José Serebrier
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129:Paul McCreesh
127:conducted by
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121:Opéra-Comique
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110:Carole Farley
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88:Arthur Pougin
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41:opéra comique
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534:Bibliography
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472:. Retrieved
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197:Marie Massy
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95:Salle Favart
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709:1832 operas
598:F.-J. Fétis
474:26 November
347:Éric Huchet
272:An officer
228:Cantarelli
154:(Conductor:
149:Voice type
106:BBC Radio 3
693:Categories
377:Pougin A.
333:Recordings
84:Mlle Dorus
516:986344792
415:Jacobs, A
401:Wolff S.
247:Fargueil
114:John Aler
63:of 1829.
55:based on
590:(1880).
574:(1889).
339:Bru Zane
290:Synopsis
243:baritone
194:soprano
49:libretto
39:) is an
672:Ludovic
296:Étampes
182:soprano
169:soprano
47:with a
26:, Paris
714:Operas
677:Halévy
667:(1832)
659:(1831)
648:Operas
560:
546:
514:
258:Génot
231:tenor
656:Zampa
594:, in
578:, in
452:Opera
435:Opera
420:Opera
365:Notes
324:Act 3
315:Act 2
306:Act 1
255:bass
219:tenor
206:tenor
146:Role
139:Roles
604:View
544:ISBN
512:OCLC
476:2015
112:and
469:BBC
59:'s
51:by
695::
467:.
357:.
158:)
679:)
633:e
626:t
619:v
568:.
558:,
554:"
501:.
478:.
35:(
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