Les deux aveugles de Tolède (The Two Blind Men of Toledo) is an opéra comique in one act by the French composer Étienne Méhul. It premiered at the Opéra-Comique, Paris on 28 January 1806. The libretto, by Benoît-Joseph Marsollier, is a revision of the same author's Les deux aveugles de Bagdad, set by A.J. Fournier in 1782.Bartlet, p.xiii
Contemporary reviewers praised Méhul's music while criticising the weakness of the libretto.Pougin pp.236-7 The opera only enjoyed limited success, with 19 performances in 1806, plus one on 28 October 1809 and a final one on 22 May 1810.Pougin p.238 The overture provides local Spanish colour through the use of a bolero rhythm (in the older Spanish sense).Ates Orga in the booklet to the Sanderling recording.
Roles RoleVoice typePremiere CastNuguez, a blind musician, uncle of Florabasse-taille (bass-baritone)Simon ChénardDon Brusco, another blind musician, engaged to FlorabaritoneBoth Solié and Martin were high baritones: the former had begun his career as a tenor, the latter gave rise to a new type of French light baritone, called 'baryton-Martin' after him. However, having the baritone clef fallen into disuse at the beginning of the Eighteenth Century, both Brusco and Mendoce parts are notated in the bass clef.Jean-Pierre SoliéMendoce, who goes under the assumed name of Pedro; he is Flora's lover, pretending to be a pupil of the blind musiciansbaritoneJean-Blaise MartinFlora, Nuguez's niecesopranoMadame GavaudanShe was born Alexandrine-Marie-Agathe Ducamel (1781-1850) and became known as Mme Gavaudan after marrying tenor Jean-Baptiste-Sauveur Gavaudan (1772-1840).Jacinthe, the blind men's housekeepersopranoMarie Desbrosses
Recordings The overture appears on: Méhul Overtures, Orchestre de Bretagne, conducted by Stefan Sanderling (ASV, 2002).
References
Sources Adélaïde de Place Étienne Nicolas Méhul (Bleu Nuit Éditeur, 2005) Arthur Pougin Méhul: sa vie, son génie, son caractère (Fischbacher, 1889) General introduction to Méhul's operas in the introduction to the edition of Stratonice by M. Elizabeth C. Bartlet (Pendragon Press, 1997) Ates Orga: booklet notes to the Sanderling recording
External links Score: Les Deux aveugles de Tolède, opéra-comique en 1 acte et en prose, paroles de Mr Marsolier, représenté pour le 1re fois à Paris, sur le Théâtre de l'opéra-comique par les comédiens ordinaires de l'Empereur, le mardi 28 janvier 1806, Paris : Magasin de Musique dirigé par MM.rs Cherubuni, Méhul Kreutzer, Rode, N. Edouard et Boieldieu, [s.d.] (Gallica - B.N.F.)