01 Sep 2010
BERTIN: La Esmeralda
La Esmeralda: Opéra in four acts.
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Music composed by Louise Bertin. Libretto by Victor Hugo from his novel Notre-Dame de Paris (Hunchback of Notre Dame). Vocal score edited by Franz Liszt (Cat. Nos. LW A038a and S 476)
First Performance: Opéra, Paris, 14 November 1836
| Principal Roles: | |
| La Esmeralda | Soprano |
| Phoebus | Tenor |
| Frollo | Bass |
| Quasimodo | Bass |
| Clopin | Tenor |
| Fleur-de-Lys | Mezzo-Soprano |
| Le Vicomte de Gif | Tenor |
| Madame de Gondelaurier | Mezzo-Soprano |
| Monsieur de Morlaix | Baritone |
| Monsieur de Chevreuse | Bass |
| Diane | Mezzo-Soprano |
| Berangere | Mezzo-Soprano |
| Pierrat Torterue | Baritone |
Synopsis of novel:
The story dates back to January 6, 1482 in Paris, France, the day of the ‘Festival of Fools’ in Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame, is introduced by his crowning as Pope of Fools.
Esmeralda, a beautiful Gypsy with a kind and generous heart, captures the hearts of many men, including that of a Captain Phoebus, but especially those of Quasimodo and his adopted father, Claude Frollo, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame. Frollo is torn between his lust and the rules of the church. He orders Quasimodo to kidnap her, but the hunchback is suddenly captured by Phoebus and his guards who save Esmeralda. Quasimodo is sentenced to be whipped and ordered to be tied down by the heat. Esmeralda, seeing his thirst, offers him water. It saves her, for she captures his heart.
Esmeralda is later charged with the attempted murder of Phoebus, whom Frollo attempted to kill in jealousy, and is sentenced to death by hanging. As she is being led to the gallows, Quasimodo swings down by the bell rope of Notre Dame and carries her off to the cathedral under the law of sanctuary. Clopin rallies the Truands (criminals of Paris) to charge the cathedral and rescue Esmeralda. The King, seeing the chaos, vetoes the law of sanctuary and commands his troops to take Esmeralda out and kill her. When Quasimodo sees the Truands, he assumes they are there to hurt Esmeralda, so he drives them off. Frollo betrays Esmeralda by handing her to the troops and watches while she is hanged. Quasimodo pushes him from the heights of Notre Dame to his death. Quasimodo then goes to a mass grave, lies next to her corpse, crawls off to Esmeralda’s tomb with his arms around her body and eventually dies of starvation. Two years later, excavationists find the skeletons of Esmeralda with a broken neck and Quasimodo locked in an embrace.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Libretto not available.