La Jérusalem délivrée

La Jérusalem délivrée is a 1712 French opera in a prologue and five acts by Duke Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, the future Regent of France. The libretto by Hilaire-Bernard Requeleyne was based on Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata. The opera was performed in the Galerie des cerfs of the Château de Fontainebleau, by the musique du roi.[1] Philippe d’Orléans had already staged one opera with his music teacher Gervais in 1705, Penthée. Both the operas share atypical style and orchestration.[2]

Roles

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  • Herminie
  • Armide
  • L’Occasion, La Voix de Clorinde, un Démon
  • Renaud
  • Adraste, Alcaste, un Vieux Berger
  • un Guerrier
  • Tancrède
  • Le Sage Vieillard, Ismen, Tissapherne

Revival performance and recording

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Cappella Mediterranea dir Leonardo García Alarcón

References

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  1. ^ La Jérusalem délivrée "In 1712, in the Galerie des Cerfs of the Château de Fontainebleau, the king's music performed a new work: La Jérusalem Délivrée, an opera composed by one of the most distinguished personalities of the kingdom, after the king himself: the Duc Philippe d'Orléans (future Regent of France). An informed musician, a pupil of Charpentier and Campra, he took Gervais as his music master from 1700 onwards: it was with his help that he composed three tragedies in music, including this Jerusalem, a "a continuation of Armide", in which we find two couples of knightly heroes Renaud and Armide, and Tancrède and Herminie, who had already inspired famous operas to Lully and Campra. A protector of the arts, Philippe d'Orléans also proved to be a true composer. "
  2. ^ "Philippe d’Orléans’ music master at the time was the composer Charles-Hubert Gervais, a remarkable musician who shared with his student a love of the Italian style. In 1705, with the help of Gervais, Philippe d’Orléans staged another opera at Palais-Royal called Penthée. Both works have much in common – first, they share a highly atypical style and orchestration, far divorced from the usual fare at the Académie Royale de Musique"