French opera

French opera is one of Europe's most important operatic traditions, containing works by composers of the stature of Lully, Rameau, Berlioz, Bizet, Debussy, Poulenc and Messiaen. Many foreign-born composers have played a part in the French tradition as well, including Gluck, Salieri, Cherubini, Rossini, Meyerbeer, Offenbach and Verdi.

French opera began at the court of Louis XIV of France with Jean-Baptiste Lully's Cadmus et Hermione (1673), although there had been various experiments with the form before that, most notably Pomone by Robert Cambert. Lully and his librettist Quinault created tragédie en musique, a form in which dance music and choral writing were particularly prominent. Lully's most important successor was Rameau. After Rameau's death, the German Gluck was persuaded to produce six operas for the Parisian stage in the 1770s. They show the influence of Rameau, but simplified and with greater focus on the drama. At the same time, by the middle of the 18th century another genre was gaining popularity in France: opéra comique, in which arias alternated with spoken dialogue. By the 1820s, Gluckian influence in France had given way to a taste for the operas of Rossini. Rossini's Guillaume Tell helped found the new genre of Grand opera, a form whose most famous exponent was Giacomo Meyerbeer. Lighter opéra comique also enjoyed tremendous success in the hands of Boïeldieu, Auber and others. In this climate, the operas of the French-born composer Hector Berlioz struggled to gain a hearing. Berlioz's epic masterpiece Les Troyens, the culmination of the Gluckian tradition, was not given a full performance for almost a hundred years after it was written.

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Latest News for: French opera

Gothic Spires from Outer Space

Truth Dig 06 Mar 2025
The resulting film would probably look a lot like “L’Empire” (or “The Empire”), Berlin’s Silver Bear-winning French-language farce by filmmaker Bruno Dumont, who refracts the traditional space opera through a strange deconstructive prism.

Why we love pearls and the best ones to buy now

The Times/The Sunday Times 03 Mar 2025
... of the luxury industry from the 19th century to the present day — and in particular how the lively pearl trade between the Gulf and the French capital city influenced everything from opera to fashion.

The Telepathy Trap

The Atlantic 03 Mar 2025
Mia is a teenage girl from Mexico who can read her mother’s mind. Akhil is a young man in New Jersey who is seeing things through other people’s eyes ... movies, operas, poems. The story has “everything we are looking for,” one French film producer said ... .

Suspense novel set in Tang Dynasty becomes musical

China Daily 26 Feb 2025
French singer-songwriter Laurent Ban, known for his performances in Mozart, l'Opera Rock, plays Gelao, head of a local underground society. This is his first participation in a Chinese musical production, singing and performing in Mandarin ... 1/5 Next ... .

An exclusive first look at the lauded bakery taking over an Phoenix old diner

Azcentral 26 Feb 2025
On the menu, you will find.Cakes like chocolate, opera carrot, black forest and chocolate pistachio macaron cakes.Pies like French silk, lemon meringue and mixed berry.Viennoiserie like butter, almond ...

Bisou

Time Out Dubai 25 Feb 2025
Meaning ‘kiss’ in French, Bisou sets it straight out from the get-go – this a romantic spot nestled next to Dubai Opera, ideal for the classic dinner-and-a-show date night.

How to stream 2025 SAG award winners from Shōgun to Conclave

Burlington County Times 25 Feb 2025
Recommendations are independently chosen by our editors. Purchases you make through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission ... 'Shōgun' is only available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+ ... It is based on a French opera.

Edmond Dédé’s ‘Morgiane’ Is as Musically Rich as It Is Historically Significant

New York Observer 22 Feb 2025
Jennifer Packard, Courtesy of Opera Lafayette ... In this concert version, the material is cut down to a tidy, engaging two hours, excising the ballets that were the mainstays of 19th-century French opera ... Jennifer Packard, Courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Home \u0026 Loggia Calendar: A sampling of events in Palm Beach and vicinity for Feb. 22, 2025

Palm Beach Daily News 22 Feb 2025
Art Historian and attorney Ducamp's lecture coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Opéra Garnier, also known as the Paris Grand Opera ... Spritzing, Spattering, Sponging, French Rule & More.

The London Handel Players baroque ensemble comes to Nicosia

Philenews 21 Feb 2025
... and Amerindian rhythms in French ballet and opera, the Polish bagpipes and polonaise dances, the Spanish folly and Indian vibrancy in Italian concertos, and the rustic energy of the British Isles.

Zanzou nightclub's alcohol licence suspended

Independent online (SA) 20 Feb 2025
Another businessman, French-born Stephanes Cohen, who owns Drama, Coco, Opera, Montana and Louis nightclubs in Joburg and Cape Town, has distanced himself from Zanzou, with associates close to him ...

Opera Lafayette Premieres Dédé’s ‘Morgiane’

The Georgetowner 18 Feb 2025
The week before Abraham Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’s birthdays, Opera Lafayette — best known under founder Ryan Brown for performances of French baroque works — presented the world premiere of ....

Awkward moment stars don't know whether to clap Emilia Pérez star after she skipped BAFTAs ...

The Daily Mail 17 Feb 2025
The French production is based on Audiard's opera libretto of the same name, which was in turn loosely adapted from Boris Razon's 2018 novel Écoute.

‘Figaro’ ‘Figaro’: Sarasota Opera highlights a romantic barber in two productions

Herald-Tribune Sarasota 16 Feb 2025
Get a sneak peak at the 2025 Sarasota Opera season ... And though they are related, they are rarely performed at the same time as they will be during the winter Sarasota Opera season ... Venni said the characters are similar but different in the two operas.

Home \u0026 Loggia Calendar: A sampling of events in Palm Beach and vicinity for Feb. 15, 2025

Palm Beach Daily News 15 Feb 2025
Art Historian and attorney Ducamp's lecture coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Opéra Garnier, also known as the Paris Grand Opera ... Spritzing, Spattering, Sponging, French Rule & More.
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