La Jacquerie

Description

"After Fiesque (1868) and Le Roi d'Ys (1888), Edouard Lalo began composing what was to be his masterpiece: a historical and moral opera set against a backdrop of peasant revolt. But death caught him before he had completed more than the first act. His family entrusted Arthur Coquard - a fervent Wagnerian, just like Lalo - with finishing this work. He accomplished it with undeniable talent. The piece is rich in references to grand romantic opera, particularly through its spectacular sets. With its brief structure and its vocality blending Verdi-like heroism and Wagnerian lyricism, La Jacquerie is a concise, effective, and unadorned opera. Successfully premiered in Monte-Carlo on March 9, 1895, the work was revived in Lyon and at the Opéra-comique in Paris in December of the same year."