Le chevalier d'Harmental

Le chevalier d’Harmental is an opéra comique in five acts of 1896, with music by André Messager and a French libretto by Paul Ferrier, after Dumas père and Auguste Maquet.^[1] The play of the novel – in five acts, a prologue and ten tableaux – was first performed on 16 July 1849 at the Théâtre-Historique in Paris.^[2] The opera was first performed at the Opéra Comique (Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt) in Paris on 5 May 1896, but ran for only six performances.^[2] It was seen at the Vienna Hofoper during the 1896-97 season.

The story concerns the conspiracy of the Prince of Cellamare, the Spanish ambassador, an envoy of Alberoni, who is at the heart of a plot involving the Duke and Duchess of Maine, which aims to capture the royal regent at a party, then gather together the Etats-Généraux and confer the regency on the King of Spain, Philippe V.^[2]

The Annales author commends the attractive music, "as one might expect of the composer of Isoline and La Basoche", of which highlights cited included couplets for Fugère and the air of the queen of the night in the first act; a drinking song in the second, and several moments in the third act.^[2]

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 5 May 1896 (Conductor: Jules Danbé)
Buvat	baritone	Lucien Fugère
d'Harmenthal	tenor	Julien Lepestre
L'abbé Brigault	tenor	Ernest Carbonne
Capitaine Roquefinette	bass	Jacques Isnardon
Le régent	baritone	Marc Nohel
Maillefer	bass	Étienne Troy
Pompadour	baritone	César Bernaert
Ravane		Tony Thomas
Gargouille		Carrell
La Fare		Jacquet
Cellamare		Karloni
Richelieu		Berriel
Un exempt		Dufour
Daval	tenor	Rivière
Bathilde	soprano	Jane Marignan
La duchesse de Maine	mezzo-soprano	Esther Chevalier
Mme Denis	soprano	Mlle Jane Evel

References

1. Wagstaff J. André Messager. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
2. Stoullig E. Les Annales du Théâtre et de la Musique, 22eme edition, 1896. G Charpentier et Cie, Paris, 1897.