Ludovic (opera)

Ludovic is an opéra comique in two acts to a French-language libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges. The music, by Ferdinand Hérold, was left unfinished at his death, and the work was completed by his deputy at the Opéra-Comique, Fromental Halévy. Hérold had only written the overture, four numbers and the beginning of the act 1 finale.[1][2]

Ludovic
Opéra comique by
Ferdinand Hérold
LibrettistJules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges
LanguageFrench
Premiere
16 May 1833 (1833-05-16)
Salle de la Bourse,
Opéra-Comique, Paris

The plot, elements of which were later reworked by Halévy and Saint-Georges in the opera Le val d'Andorre (1847), centres on misplaced alliance, love, forced conscription, flight, pardon, and marriage.

Chopin wrote a set of variations in B-flat major, Variations brillantes, Op. 12 (1833), on the act 1 aria "Je vends des scapulaires" (I sell scapulars).

Performance history

The opera was premiered by the Paris Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse on 16 May 1833, five months after Hérold's death. It achieved 70 performances by the end of 1834, making it a modest success, which set the foundation for Halévy's career.[3]

Roles
Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 16 May 1833[4]
Ludovic tenor Louis-Augustin Lemonnier
Nice soprano Marie Massy
Gregorio baritone Vizentini
Francesca soprano Félicité Pradher
Scipion bass
Male and female farmers, soldiers

Synopsis
Place: Francesca's farm, the village of Albano, near Rome

The main characters are Ludovic, a farmer from Corsica, Francesca, who owns the farm he manages, and her cousin Gregorio. When Francesca is about to marry Gregorio, Ludovic shoots her and is sentenced to death. Francesca recovers and realizes she loves Ludovic.[1]

References
  1. Fuller, Nick. "Ferdinand Hérold" (PDF). 21. Ludovic. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. Jouvin, Benoît. Hérold, sa vie et ses oeuvres, pp. 190–191 (Paris: Heugel, 1868)
  3. "Jacques Fromental Halévy", Music of the 19th Century Paris
  4. Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Ludovic, 16 May 1833". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).

Further reading
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