Kassya (opera)

Kassya is a French-language opera in 4 acts and 5 tableaux by Léo Delibes to a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille after a novella by Sacher-Masoch. Unfinished on Delibes' death in 1891, it was completed and orchestrated by Jules Massenet in 1893.^[1]

The opera was premiered at the Opéra-Comique, Paris, on 24 March 1893, with the following cast:

Sonia – Cécile Simonnet
Kassya – Mme De Nuovina
La Bohémienne – Mlle Elven
Nidda – Mlle Delorn
Lacka – Mlle Robert
Cyrille – M. Gibert
Le comte de Zévale – Gabriel Soulacroix
Kotska – M. Lorrain
Kolénati – M. Challet
Mockou – M. Bernaert
Un sergent – M. Artus
Yahn – M. Troy

Source: Les Annales du théâtre et de la musique, 1893.^[2]

The opera was respectfully received, but the general view was that it showed the composer's creative gifts in decline.^[3]^[4] It ran for twelve performances.^[5] A modern critic considered that the libretto was weak, but the last two acts, with the stamp of Massenet most in evidence, are the best, with the ballet full of Hungarian colour.^[6]

The work was performed in concert in July 2018 in Montpellier with Cyrille Dubois as Cyrille, Véronique Gens in the title role, Alexandre Duhamel as the count, and Anne-Catherine Gillet as Sonia, conducted by Michael Schønwandt.^[6]

References

^ Kassya, l’opéra inachevé de Léo Delibes, au festival de Montpellier By Marguerite Haladjian, 27 July 2018 "Une découverte promise parmi d’autres heureuses surprises aura été la création de Kassya, le dernier opéra inachevé de Léo Delibes (1836–1891), donné en version de concert samedi 21 juillet à l’Opéra Berlioz."
^ Noël and Stoullig, p. 108
^ "The Drama in Paris", The Era, 1 April 1893, p. 9
^ Noël and Stoullig, pp. 110–111
^ Noël and Stoullig, p. 138
^ ^a ^b Laurent, François. Retour d'une bohemienne - Kassya de Delibes. Diapason, no.671, September 2018, p60.