Operas by Hector Berlioz
Les francs-juges (unfinished) Benvenuto Cellini (1838) Béatrice et Bénédict (1862) Les Troyens (1863)
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Les Troyens (in English: The Trojans) is a French opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. Les francs-juges is the title of an unfinished Opera by the French composer Hector Berlioz written to a Libretto by his friend Benvenuto Cellini is an Opera in two acts with music by Hector Berlioz and Libretto by Léon de Wailly and Auguste Barbier Béatrice et Bénédict ( Beatrice and Benedict) is a comic Opera in two acts by Hector Berlioz. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto The libretto was written by Berlioz himself, based on Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or For the group of nine Ancient Egyptian deities see Ennead. The Aeneid (əˈniːɪd in Written between 1856 and 1858, Les Troyens was Berlioz's largest and most ambitious work, the summation of his entire artistic career, but he never saw the opera performed in its entirety during his lifetime. Year 1856 ( MDCCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Under the title Les Troyens à Carthage, the last three acts were premièred, with many cuts, at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, on 4 November 1863. Théâtre Lyrique (or Théâtre-Lyrique Impérial was one of three separate 19th century Opera houses in Paris (the other two being Opèra and Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common It was repeated 21 times.

Contents 1 Compositional history 2 Publication 3 Subsequent Performance History 4 Critical evaluation 5 Roles 6 Synopsis 6.1 Act 1 6.2 Act 2 6.3 Act 3 6.4 Act 4 6.5 Act 5 7 Selected recordings 8 References 9 Sources 10 External links

Compositional history

Berlioz began the libretto on 5 May 1856 and completed it toward the end of June 1856. He finished the full score on 12 April 1858. ^[1] Berlioz had a keen affection for literature, and he admired Virgil since his childhood. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or ^[2] The Princess Carolyn de Sayn Wittgenstein was a prime motivator to Berlioz to compose this opera. ^[3] In his memoirs, he gives a detailed account of how he embarked upon an opera based on The Aeneid:

I happened to be in Weimar with the Princess Wittgenstein, a devoted friend of Liszt's, a woman of rare intelligence and feeling, who has often comforted me in my fits of depression. Weimar (ˈvaɪmaʁ is a City in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of Thuringia (Thüringen north of the Thüringer Wald, Something led to me to speak of my admiration of Virgil and of an idea I had formed of a grand opera on the Shakespearean model, to be founded on the second and fourth books of The Aeneid. I added that I was too well acquainted with the necessary difficulties of such an undertaking ever to attempt it. "Indeed," replied the Princess, "your passion for Shakespeare, combined with your love of the antique, ought to produce something grand and uncommon. You must write this opera, or lyric poem, or whatsoever you choose to call it. You must begin it, and you must finish it. " I continued my objections, but she would hear none of them. "Listen", said she. "If you are shirking the inevitable difficulties of the piece, if you are so weak as to be afraid to brave everything for Dido and Cassandra, never come to see me again, for I will not receive you. Dido was according to Greek and Roman sources the founder and first Queen of Carthage (in modern-day Tunisia) In Greek mythology, Cassandra ( Greek: Κασσάνδρα "she who entangles men" (also known as Alexandra) was the daughter of King " This was quite enough to decide me. On my return to Paris, I began the poem of Les Troyens. I attacked the score, and after three years and a half of corrections, changes, additions, etc. , I finished it.

On 3 May 1861, Berlioz wrote in a letter: "I am sure that I have written a great work, greater and nobler than anything done hitherto. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common " Elsewhere he wrote: "The principal merit of the work is, in my view, the truthfulness of the expression. " For Berlioz, truthful representation of passion was the highest goal of a dramatic composer, and in this respect he felt he had equalled the achievements of Gluck and Mozart.

In his memoirs, Berlioz described in excruciating detail the intense frustrations he experienced in seeing the work performed. For five years (from 1858 to 1863), the Paris Opéra -- the only suitable stage in Paris -- vacillated. Opéra National de Paris is the leading Opera company of France. Finally, tired of waiting, he agreed to let a smaller theater, the Théâtre Lyrique, mount a production. However, the management, alarmed at the size, insisted he cut the work in two. It mounted only the second half, given the name Les Troyens à Carthage. Berlioz noted bitterly: "it was manifestly impossible for them to do it justice. . . the theater wasn't large enough, the singers insufficiently skilled, the chorus and orchestra inadequate. " Many compromises and cuts were made and the resulting production "an imperfect" one. In view of all the defects, Berlioz lamented "to properly organize the performance of so great a work, I should have to be master of the theater as absolutely as I am master of the orchestra when rehearsing a symphony. "

Even in its less than ideal form, the work made a profound impression. For example, Meyerbeer attended 12 performances. Giacomo Meyerbeer ( September 5, 1791 &ndash May 2, 1864) was a noted German -born Opera Composer, and Berlioz's son Louis attended each performance. ^[4] A friend tried to console Berlioz for having endured so much in the mutilation of his magnum opus and pointed out that after the first night audiences were increasing. Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera) from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the best the greatest "See," he said encouragingly to Berlioz, "they are coming. " "Yes," replied Berlioz, feeling old and worn out, "they are coming, but I am going. "

Berlioz never saw the first two acts, later given the name La prise de Troie ['The Capture of Troy'], performed. The first five-act performance of the "complete" Les Troyens, spread over two nights, only took place at Karlsruhe in 1890, 21 years after Berlioz's death. Karlsruhe (ˈkaɐ̯lsʁuːə population 285812 in 2006 is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In subsequent years, wrote British Berlioz biographer David Cairns, the work was thought of as "a great sprawling white elephant, product of declining creative vitality, beautiful in patches but fatally uneven and quite unstagable——apart from anything else, because of its length. David Cairns is a British journalist non-fiction writer and musician A white elephant is a valuable possession which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep exceeds its usefulness "

Publication

Berlioz himself arranged for the entire score to be published by the Parisian music editors, Choudens et Cie. In this published score, he introduced a number of optional cuts which have often been adopted in subsequent productions. Berlioz complained bitterly (he was a legendary complainer) of the cuts that he was more-or-less forced to allow at the 1863 Théâtre Lyrique première production, and his letters and mémoires are filled with the indignation that it caused him to "mutilate" his score.

In 1969, Bärenreiter Verlag of Kassel, Germany, published a Critical Edition of Les Troyens, containing all the compositional material left by Berlioz. Kassel (until 1926 officially Cassel) is a city situated along the Fulda River in northern Hessen, Germany, one of the two sources of the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ^[5] The preparation of this critical edition was the work of Hugh Macdonald, whose Cambridge University doctoral dissertation this was. ^[6] The tendency since then has been to perform the opera complete. The published score is now part of the New Berlioz Complete Edition of Bärenreiter. This edition has formed the musical basis for subsequent productions of the opera.

Subsequent Performance History

While the Grand Opéra in Paris performed both "halves" of the unwillingly severed work at various times between 1899 and 1919, the company did not produce the complete Les Troyens, in one evening as Berlioz had conceived it, until 10 June 1921, with mise-en-scène by Merle-Forest, sets by René Piot and costumes by Dethomas. Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Philippe Gaubert conducted. Philippe Gaubert (1879 – 1941 was a French musician who was a distinguished performer on the Flute, a respected conductor, and a Composer The cast included Marguerite Gonzategui (Didon), Lucy Isnardon (Cassandre), Jeanne Laval (Anna), Paul Franz (Énée), Édouard Rouard (Chorèbe), and Armand Narcon (Narbal).

Marisa Ferrer, who would later sing the part under Sir Thomas Beecham in London, sang Didon in the 1929 revival, with Germaine Lubin as Cassandre and again Franz as Énée. Sir Thomas Beecham 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 1879 &ndash 8 March 1961 was a British conductor and Impresario. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Germaine (Léontine Angélique Lubin ( February 1 1890 - October 27 1979) was a French dramatic Soprano best known for Georges Thill sang Énée in 1930. Georges Thill ( 14 December 1897 &ndash 17 October 1984) was a French Opera singer often considered to be his country's greatest

In 1935, Les Troyens was first performed outside of France by the Glasgow Grand Opera Society. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This complete version of Berlioz's work was directed by Scottish composer Erik Chisholm. Professor Erik William Chisholm (4 January 1904 &ndash 8 June 1965 was a Scottish Composer and conductor often known as "Scotland’s forgotten composer" ^[7]

Lucienne Anduran was Didon in the 1939 revival, with Ferrer as Cassandre this time, José de Trévi as Énée, and Martial Singher, later a long-time favourite at the Metropolitan Opera, as Chorèbe. Martial Singher ( August 14, 1904 - March 09, 1990) was a French Baritone Opera Singer born in The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Gaubert conducted all performances before the Second World War.

The Paris Opéra gave a new production of the complete Les Troyens on March 17, 1961, directed by Margherita Wallmann, with sets and costumes by Piero Zuffi. Margarete Wallmann or Wallman (aka Margarethe Wallmann, Margherita Wallman or Margarita Wallmann) ( 22 June 1904 &ndash Pierre Dervaux was the conductor. Pierre Dervaux (born January 03, 1917 in Juvisy-sur-Orge, France died February 20, 1992 in Marseilles, France was a French Régine Crespin sang Didon, with Geneviève Serrès as Cassandre, Jacqueline Broudeur as Anna, Guy Chauvet as Énée, Robert Massard as Chorèbe and Georges Vaillant as Narbal. Régine Crespin ( 23 February 1927 – 5 July 2007) was a French operatic dramatic Soprano, later a Mezzo-soprano Robert Massard (born August 15, 1925) is a French Baritone, primarily associated with the French repertory one of the few outstanding French Air-checks are extant of performances by this cast from broadcasts made by the French National Radio. Several of these artists, in particular Crespin and Chauvet, participated in a set of extended highlights commercially recorded by EMI in 1965, Georges Prêtre conducting. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Georges Prêtre (born August 14, 1924) is a French conductor.

In the UK, J. A. Westrup recalled concert performances of Les Troyens à Carthage in 1897 and 1928, as well as a complete staging in Glasgow in 1935. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[8] The distinction of performing Les Troyens for the first time in London belongs to Sir Thomas Beecham, who led a concert performance of the complete opera broadcast over the BBC in 1947. ^[9] His cast included Ferrer as both Didon and Cassandre, Jean Giraudoux as Énée, and baritone Charles Cambon as both Chorèbe (a role he had sung in Paris as part of the alternate 1929 cast) and Narbal. An aircheck of this performance exists and has been issued on CD. However, the 1957 production at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1957, conducted by Rafael Kubelík and directed by John Gielgud, has been described as "the first full staging in a single evening that even approximated the composer's original intentions". WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Rafael Jeroným Kubelík ( June 29 1914 &ndash Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH ( 14 April, 1904 – 21 May 2000) known as Sir John Gielgud, was an ^[10]

The musical details and performing editions of Les Troyens used at various productions at the Paris Opéra and by Sir Thomas Beecham and by Rafael Kubelík in London were all the same, the orchestral and choral parts from Choudens et Cie. of Paris, the only edition then available. The score made available by Bärenreiter from its Critical Edition, first published in 1969, was used by Colin Davis in his 1969 Covent Garden production, recorded by Philips. For the former Formula One driver see Colin Davis (driver WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV ( Royal Philips Electronics Inc.

The first US production was in Boston in 1972. ^[11] In 1973, Rafael Kubelík conducted the first Metropolitan Opera staging of Les Troyens, in the opera's first performances in New York City and the third staging in the United States. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Rafael Jeroným Kubelík ( June 29 1914 &ndash The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. The City of New York ^[12]

Les Troyens was staged again in 1990 for the opening of the new Bastille Opéra in Paris. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) L’Opéra de la Bastille (Bastille Opera is a modern Opera house in Paris, France. It was a partial success, because the new theatre could not be quite ready on opening night, which caused much trouble during rehearsals. The performance had several cuts, authorised, willingly or not, by Berlioz, including some dances in the third act. To mark the bicentenary of Berlioz's birth in 2003, Les Troyens was revived in productions at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (conducted by John Eliot Gardiner), Amsterdam (conducted by Edo de Waart), and at the Metropolitan Opera (with the American mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson as Dido, conducted by James Levine). An anniversary (from the Latin anniversarius, from the words for year and to turn meaning (returning yearly known in English since c. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Théâtre du Châtelet is a Theatre and Opera house in Paris, France. Sir John Eliot Gardiner CBE FKC (born April 20, 1943, Fontmell Magna, Dorset De Nederlandse Opera (DNO (The Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam, is the leading Opera company of the Netherlands. Edo de Waart (born 1 June 1941 is a Dutch conductor of symphony orchestras and Opera. The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson ( March 1 1954 &ndash July 3 2006) was a renowned American Soprano James Lawrence Levine (born 23 June 1943) is an American orchestral conductor and pianist.

Critical evaluation

Only knowing the work from a piano score, the British critic W.J. Turner declared that Les Troyens was "the greatest opera ever written" in his 1934 book on Berlioz, much preferring it to the vastly more popular works of Richard Wagner. Walter James Redfern Turner ( October 13, 1889 – November 18, 1946) was an Australian writer Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. American critic B.H. Haggin heard in the work Berlioz' "arrestingly individual musical mind operating in, and commanding attention with, the use of the [Berlioz] idiom with assured mastery and complete adequacy to the text's every demand". The career of Music Critic Bernard H Haggin ( December 29, 1900 - May 28, 1987) better known as B David Cairns described the work as "an opera of visionary beauty and splendor, compelling in its epic sweep, fascinating in the variety of its musical invention. . . it recaptures the tragic spirit and climate of the ancient world. " Hugh Macdonald said of it:

In the history of French music, Les Troyens stands out as a grand opera that avoided the shallow glamour of Meyerbeer and Halevy, but therefore paid the price of long neglect. In our own time the opera has finally come to be seen as one of the greatest operas of the 19th century. There are several recordings of the work, and it is performed with increasing frequency.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, (Acts 3-5 only) November 4, 1863 (Conductors: Alphonse Deloffre and Hector Berlioz)[13]	Premiere Cast, (complete opera) December 6-7, 1890 (Conductor: Felix Mottl)[14]
Priam, King of Troy/Ghost of Priam	bass
Hécube (Hecuba), Queen of Troy	soprano		Pauline Mailhac
Cassandre (Cassandra), their daughter, a Trojan prophetess)/Ghost of Cassandre	mezzo-soprano	Marie-Jeanne-Josèphe Cabel	Luise Reuss-Belce
Helenus, their son, a Trojan priest	tenor		Hermann Rosenberg
Polyxène (Polyxena), their daughter	soprano		Annetta Heller
Chorèbe (Coroebus), a young prince from Asia, betrothed to Cassandra/Ghost of Chorèbe	baritone		Marcel Cordes
Énée (Aeneas), Trojan hero, son of Venus and Anchises	tenor	Jules-Sébastien Monjauze	Alfred Oberländer
Ascagne (Ascanius), his son	soprano	Ms Estagel	Auguste Elise Harlacher-Rupp
Panthée (Panthous), a Trojan priest	bass	Péront	Carl Nebe
Ghost of Hector, a Trojan hero, son of Priam and Hécube	bass
Andromaque (Andromache), his widow	silent
Astyanax, son of Hector and Andromaque	silent
A Greek captain	bass		Fritz Plank
Didon (Dido), Queen of Carthage, widow of Sychaeus	mezzo-soprano	Anne-Arsène Charton-Demeur	Pauline Mailhac
Anna, sister of Dido	contralto	M. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Felix Josef von Mottl ( 24 August 1856 &ndash In Greek mythology, Priam ( Greek Πρίαμος Priamos) was the king of Troy during the Trojan War and youngest son Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or This page is about the mythological figure for the Butterfly, see Morpho hecuba; for the Asteroid, see 108 Hecuba This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. In Greek mythology, Cassandra ( Greek: Κασσάνδρα "she who entangles men" (also known as Alexandra) was the daughter of King This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Helenus was a Trojan soldier and prophet in the Trojan War. In Greek mythology, Helenus was the son of King Priam and Queen The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice For the Christian Saint please see Acts of Xanthippe Polyxena and Rebecca Polyxena (pəˈlɪksɪnə was known to be a beautiful For the Olympic athlete see Coroebus of Elis. For the place see Koroivos. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is about the Roman hero For other uses see Aeneas (disambiguation. In Greek mythology, Anchises was a son of Capys and Themiste (daughter of Ilus son of Tros or Hieromneme, a Naiad. In Greek and Roman mythology, Ascanius was the son of Aeneas and Creusa. In Greek mythology, Hectōr ( "holding fast" or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and one of the greatest fighters in the In Greek mythology, Andromache ( Ancient Greek:) was the wife of Hector and daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. This article is about the mythological character for the Fish Genus, see Astyanax (fish. Dido was according to Greek and Roman sources the founder and first Queen of Carthage (in modern-day Tunisia) This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Dubois	Christine Friedlein
Narbal, minister to Dido	bass	Jules "Giulio" Petit	Fritz Plank
Iopas, Tyrian poet at Dido's court	tenor	De Quercy	Hermann Rosenberg
Hylas, a young Phrygian sailor	tenor	Cabel	Wilhelm Guggenbühler
Mercure (Mercury), a God	bass
Two Trojan soldiers	baritone, bass

Synopsis

Act 1

At the abandoned Greek camp outside the walls of Troy

The Trojans are celebrating apparent deliverance from ten years of siege. Tyre ( Arabic صور Ṣūr, Phoenician Phoenician wawsvg|12px|ו]] Ṣur, Hebrew In antiquity Phrygia (Φρυγία was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. They see the large wooden horse left by the Greeks, which they presume to be an offering to Pallas Athene. Unlike all the other Trojans, however, Cassandre is mistrustful of the situation. She foresees that she will not live to marry her fiancé Chorèbe. Chorèbe appears and urges Cassandre to forget her misgivings. But her prophetic vision clarifies, and she foresees the utter destruction of Troy. When Andromache silently walks in, the celebration halts.

Énée then rushes on to tell of the devouring of the priest Laocoön by a sea serpent, after he had warned the Trojans to burn the horse. Énée interprets this as a sign of the goddess Athene's anger at the sacrilege. Against Cassandre's futile protests, Priam orders the horse to be brought within the city of Troy and placed next to the temple of Pallas Athene. There is a sound of what seems to be the clashing of arms from within the horse, but the Trojans, in their delusion, interpret it as a happy omen. Cassandre has watched the procession in despair, and as the act ends, resigns herself to death beneath the walls of Troy.

Act 2

Before the act proper has started, the Greek soldiers hidden in the wooden horse have come out and begun to destroy Troy and its citizens.

Scene 1: Palace of Énée

With fighting going on in the background, the shade of Hector visits Énée and warns him to flee Troy and seek Italy, where he will build a new Troy. After Hector fades, Panthée conveys the news about the Greeks hidden in the horse. Ascagne appears with news of further destruction. At the head of a band of soldiers, Chorèbe urges Énée to take up arms for battle. All resolve to defend Troy to the death.

Scene 2: Palace of Priam

Several of the Trojan women are praying at the altar of Vesta/Cybele for their soldiers to receive divine aid. Cassandre reports that Énée and other Trojan warriors have rescued Priam's palace treasure and relieved people at the citadel. She prophesies that Énée and the survivors will found a new Troy in Italy. But she says also that Chorèbe is dead, and resolves to die. The other women acknowledge that Cassandre was correct in her prophecies and their error in dismissing her. Cassandre then calls upon the Trojan women to join her in death, to prevent being defiled by the invading Greeks. One group of women admits to fear of death, and Cassandre dismisses them from her sight. The remaining women unite with Cassandre in their determination to die. A Greek captain observes the women during this scene, with admiration for their courage. Greek soldiers then come on the scene, demanding the Trojan treasure from the women. Cassandre defiantly mocks the soldiers, then suddenly stabs herself. Polyxène takes the same dagger and does likewise. The remaining women scorn the Greeks as being too late to find the treasure, and commit mass suicide, to the horror of the Greek soldiers. Cassandre summons one last cry of "Italy!" before she collapses, dead.

Act 3

Palace of Didon

The Carthaginians and their queen, Didon, are celebrating the prosperity that they have achieved in the past seven years since fleeing from Tyre to found a new city. Didon, however, is concerned about Iarbas, the Numidian king, not least because he has proposed a political marriage with her. The Carthaginians swear their defence of Didon, and the builders, sailors and farmers offer tribute to Didon.

In private after these ceremonies, Didon and Anna then discuss love. Anna urges Didon to re-marry, but Didon insists on honoring the memory of her late husband Sichée (Sychaeus). Iopas then enters to tell of an unknown fleet that has arrived in port. Recalling her own wandering on the seas, Didon bids that these strangers be welcome. Ascagne enters, presents the saved treasure of Troy, and relates the Trojans' story. Didon acknowledges that she knows of this situation. Panthée then tells of the ultimate destiny of the Trojans to found a new city in Italy. During this scene, Énée is disguised as an ordinary sailor.

Narbal then comes to tell Didon that Iarbas and his army are attacking the fields surrounding Carthage and are marching on the city. But Carthage does not have enough weapons to defend itself. Énée then reveals his true identity and offers the services of his people to help Carthage. Didon accepts the offer, and Énée entrusts Ascagne to Didon's care. The Carthaginians and Trojans then prepare for battle against the Numidians.

Act 4

Scene 1: Royal Hunt and Storm

This scene is purely instrumental, set in a forest with a cave in the background. Didon and Énée have been separated from the rest of the hunting party. As a storm breaks, the two take shelter in the cave, where they acknowledge and consummate their mutual attraction.

Scene 2: The gardens of Didon

The Numidians have been beaten back, and both Narbal and Anna are relieved at this. However, Narbal worries that Didon has been neglecting the management of the state, distracted by her love for Énée. Anna dismisses such concerns and says that this indicates that Énée would be an excellent king for Carthage. Narbal reminds Anna, however, that the gods have called Énée's final destiny to be in Italy. Anna replies that there is no stronger god than love.

After Didon's entry, and dances from the Egyptian dancing girls, the slaves, and the Nubian slave girls, Iopas sings his song of the fiels, at the queen's request. She then asks Énée for more tales of Troy. Énée reveals that after some persuading, Andromaque eventually married Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles, who killed Hector, Andromache's earlier husband. Didon then feels resolved regarding her lingering feelings about her late husband. At one point, Ascagne slips Sichée's ring from Didon's finger. Didon retrieves it, but then forgets about it later. Alone, Didon and Énée then sing a love duet. At the end of the act, the god Mercury appears and strikes Énée's shield, then calls out three times, "Italy!".

Act 5

Scene 1: The harbour of Carthage

Hylas sings his song of longing for home, alone. Two sentries mockingly comment that he will never see his homeland again. Panthée and the Trojan chieftains discuss the gods' angry signs at their delay in sailing for Italy. The sentries remark that they have good lives in Carthage and do not want to leave.

Énée then comes on stage, singing of his despair at the gods' portents and warnings to set sail for Italy, and also of unhappiness at his betrayal of Didon with this news. The ghosts of Priam, Chorèbe, Hector and Cassandre appear and relentlessly urge Énée to proceed on to Italy. Énée gives in and realizes that he must obey the gods' commands, but also realizes his cruelty and ingratitude to Didon as a result. He then orders his comrades to prepare to sail that morning, before sunrise.

Didon then appears, appalled at Énée's attempt to leave in secret, but still in love with him. Énée pleads the messages from the gods to move on, but Didon will have none of this. She pronounces a curse on him as she leaves.

Scene 2: Palace of Didon

Dido asks Anna to plead with Énée one last time to stay. Anna acknowledges blame for encouraging the love between her sister and Énée. Didon angrily counters that if Énée truly loved her, he would defy the gods, but then asks her to plead with for a few days' additional stay.

The crowd has seen the Trojans set sail. Iopas conveys the news to Didon. In a rage, she demands that the Carthaginians give chase and destroy the Trojans' fleet, and wishes that she had destroyed the Trojans upon their arrival. She then decides to offer sacrifice, including destroying the Trojans' gifts to her and hers to them. Alone, she resolves to die, and after expressing a final love for Énée, prepares to bid her city farewell.

Scene 3: Garden of Didon

A sacrificial pyre with Énée's relics has been built. Narbal and Anna expound curses on Énée to suffer a humiliating death in battle. Didon then ascends the pyre, removes her veil and throws it on Énée's toga. She has a vision of a future African warrior, Hannibal, who will rise and attack Rome to avenge her. Didon then stabs herself with Énée's sword, to the horror of her people. But at the moment of her death, she has one last vision: Carthage will be destroyed, and Rome will be "immortal". The Carthaginians then utter one final curse on Énée and his people, vowing vengeance for his abandonment of Didon, as the opera ends.

Selected recordings

Year	Cast (Enée, Chorébe, Panthée, Narbal, Iopas, Ascagne, Cassandre, Didon, Anna)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1983	Plácido Domingo, Allan Monk, John Cheek, Paul Plishka, Douglas Ahlstedt, Claudia Catania, Jessye Norman, Tatiana Troyanos, Jocelyne Taillon	James Levine, Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus	DVD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 00440 073 4310

• Philips 670 9002 (original LP issue): Jon Vickers, Josephine Veasey, Berit Lindholm, Peter Glossop, Heather Begg, Roger Soyer, Anne Howells, Ian Partridge, Raimund Herincx, Ryland Davies; Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Sir Colin Davis, conductor^[15]
• Decca Classics: Gary Lakes, Françoise Pollet, Deborah Voigt, Claudine Carlson, Gregory Cross, Rene Schirrer, Catherine Dubosc, Gino Quilico; Montreal Symphony Chorus; Montreal Symphony Orchestra; Charles Dutoit, conductor
• LSO Live LSO0010: Ben Heppner, Michelle DeYoung, Petra Lang, Sara Mingardo, Peter Mattei, Stephen Milling, Kenneth Tarver, Toby Spence, Orlin Anastassov, Tigran Martirossian, Isabelle Cals, Alan Ewing, Guang Yang, Andrew Greenan, Roderick Earle, Bulent Bezduz, Leigh Melrose, Mark Stone; London Symphony Chorus; London Symphony Orchestra; Sir Colin Davis, conductor

References

Sources

Wolff, Stéphane: L'Opéra au Palais Garnier, 1875-1962. Les oeuvres. Les Interprètes. Paris, L'Entracte, 1962

External links

• Les Troyens in excerpt from memoir
• Preface to Les Troyens by Hugh Macdonald
• MP3 Creative Commons Recording of Les Troyens (1959); like most productions from that period, the recording follows the Théâtre Lyrique première in including only the second part of the opera, i. e. Acts 3, 4, and 5.
• description of Les Troyens at Naxos.com
• Guy Dumazert, French-language commentary on Les Troyens, 12 August 2001.
• Libretto
  

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