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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