Proserpine is an 1887 drame lyrique in four acts by Camille Saint-Saëns to a libretto by Louis Gallet after Auguste Vacquerie.Sabina Teller Ratner Camille Saint-Saëns, 1835-1921: A Thematic Catalogue of His Complete Works 0198163207 2002 Its run time is 95 minutes.
Background After the Camille Saint-Saëns became intrigued by August Vacquerie's play (Proserpine, written in 1838) and the Italian aspects of it, Saint-Saëns and Vacquerie agreed on composing Proserpine in the Italian style. The project was never realized as initially intended, but was returned to a few years later after a dinner party brought the pair back together. They, with a third collaborator in librettist Louis Gallet, ended up writing the opera as a drame lyrique, though the story still takes place in Italy. A trip to Florence by Saint-Saëns inspired this setting and atmosphere of the opera.
Roles +RoleVoice TypeOriginal cast conducted by Jules Danbé2016 cast conducted by Ulf SchirmerProserpinesopranoCaroline SallaVeronique GensAngiolasopranoCécile SimonnetMarie-Adeline HenrySabatinotenorGuillaume Albert LubertFrédéric AntounSquaroccabaritoneÉmile-Alexandre TaskinAndrew Foster-WilliamsRenzobassM. CobaletJean TeitgenOrlandotenorM. HerbertMathias VidalErcolebaritoneM. CollinPhilippe-Nicolas MartinFilippotenorM. CaissoArtavazd SargsyanGiltenorM. BarnoltArtavazd SargsyanA nun (une religieuse)sopranoMme. PerretClémence TilquinThree young girls (trois jeunes filles)two sopranos, one contraltoMmes. Mary, Augusta, EspositoThree novices (trois novices)two sopranos, one contraltoMmes. Balanqué, Barria, NardiLords, mendicants, nuns, soldiers (Seigneurs, mendiants, religieuses, soldats)SATB choirFlemish Radio Choir
Instrumentation and composition Along with vocal soloists and an SATB chorus, Proserpine features: an off-stage orchestra (flute, viola, violoncello, harp, organ, bell) and an on-stage orchestra (piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets (A/B♭), 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns (D/F/A/G), 2 cornets (A/B♭), 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (triangle, bass drum, cymbals), harp, strings).
Proserpine features no spoken dialogue.
Saint-Saëns used leitmotifs, a compositional technique commonly associated with Wagner, whom he greatly admired.
Performance history
On March 14th, 1887, Proserpine was performed for the first time in Paris at the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique.
It was performed in concert and recorded on October 7th and 9th in Munich in 2016. The cast was joined by the Munich Radio Orchestra, the Flemish Radio Choir, and Ulf Schirmer as the conductor. The project was sponsored by Palazzetto Bru Zane, one of many of their recordings of lesser-known French operas.
Reception At the time of its premiere, critics of Proserpine, as well as the general public, found it unusual (due to a lack of spoken dialogue) and its composition inordinately complex for a theatrical work.
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