Agnes Sorel (opera)

Agnes Sorel is an 1836 opera composed by Mary Anne à Beckett with the libretto by the composer's husband, Gilbert A. à Beckett.[1][2]

Described as "an operatic farce", the work was loosely based on the life of Agnès Sorel, mistress of Charles VII of France. The piece, with words by the composer's husband, was the first production at John Braham's St James's Theatre in London in 1835. The score was orchestrated by George Stansbury. The anonymous reviewer in The Times dismissed the libretto as "cold, dull and comfortless", but praised some of the music as "evinc[ing] no inconsiderable share of taste and skill".[3] The composer turned down the suggestion that she should conduct the performances herself, declining to make public appearances,[4] but her sister made her debut, very successfully, in this production.[3]

References
  1. Griffel, Margaret Ross (2012-12-21). Operas in English: A Dictionary. Scarecrow Press. p. 8. ISBN 9780810883253.
  2. Champlin, John Denison; Apthorp, William Foster (1888). Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians. C. Scribner's Sons. p. 16.
  3. "The St James's Theatre", The Times, 15 December 1835, p. 5
  4. à Beckett, p. 55

Sources
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