"Le Voyage en Chine" (The Journey to China), a three-act opéra-comique by François Bazin (1816–1878), premiered in Paris on December 9, 1865. Although Bazin spent many years as an unsalaried teacher of harmony and accompaniment at the Conservatoire, he was eventually appointed professor of composition. Among his handful of operatic successes, "Le Voyage en Chine" proved the most popular—judging by the number of published arrangements alone. The overture opens with a lively march in D major, building to a striking introductory climax. What follows evokes little sense of a voyage to China—which is entirely fitting if you’ve read the libretto by Labiche and Delacour.

The orchestral realization was created using Finale 27 and NotePerformer 4.

François Bazin: Le Voyage en Chine (1865) – Ouverture

The Overture to 'L'Eau merveilleuse' by Albert Grisar (1808-1869), premiered at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris on 30 January 1839. Grisar was a popular and prolific composer in his day and the immediate precursor of Offenbach, by whom his œuvre was completely overshadowed. An opéra-bouffon in two acts, 'L'Eau merveilleuse' is a farcical romp involving a love triangle between a snake-oil salesman, his ward, and a traveling comedian. The orchestral realization here is a world premiere, created using Finale 27 and NotePerformer4. Transcribed from the full orchestral score.

Albert Grisar: L'Eau merveilleuse (1839) – Ouverture

YEDDA is a full-length, three-act ballet (Légende japonaise – “Japanese Legend”) with music by Olivier Métra (1830–1889). It premiered in January 1879 at the Paris Opéra in a lavish and visually spectacular production that was warmly received by Parisian audiences. At the time, Japan had only recently begun opening to the West, and European fascination with its aesthetics and perceived exoticism was at its peak.

The libretto, by Philippe Gille and Arnold Mortier, tells the fictional story of Yedda’s rise and fall—entirely invented and not based on any authentic Japanese folklore. Interestingly, Métra's score avoids overtly “Oriental” musical clichés, a restraint that drew some criticism at the premiere from those expecting more musical exoticism.

The excerpt presented here, published separately as Le Repos du Mikado (“The Mikado’s Rest”), actually serves within the ballet as the introduction to the Divertissement des corbeilles (“Basket Dance”) that closes Act I. In this scene, groups of subjects come forward to lay offerings in woven baskets at the feet of the Mikado.

This world premiere recording was created using Finale 27 and NotePerformer 4.

Olivier Métra - Yedda (1879): Le Repos du Mikado

"Le Trompette de Monsieur le Prince" (The Prince's Trumpeter), a one-act opéra-comique by François Bazin (1816–1878), premiered in Paris on 15 May 1846. The story takes place in 17th century France, during the civil wars known as "Le Fronde". The prince's trumpeter and the sounds of war are lightly depicted in this spirited overture, another unknown gem.

World premiere recording. The orchestral realization was created using Finale 27 and NotePerformer 4.



François Bazin: Le Trompette de Monsieur le Prince (1846) - Ouverture

"Le Roman d'Elvire" (The Tale of Elvira), an opéra-comique in three acts with music by Ambroise Thomas (1811–1896), premiered in Paris on 4 February 1860. Set to an original libretto by Alexandre Dumas (père), the work was met with anticipation but failed to captivate Parisian audiences. Indeed, the failure inspired Thomas to reassess his compositional style, and his biggest successes - "Mignon" and "Hamlet" - followed some years later. For Dumas's part, he never wrote a libretto for the stage again. Nevertheless, this overture is another unknown masterpiece by a known master; written entirely in 6/8 (though in different tempi), the interconnected themes are distinctly and colorfully set apart, while sonata form is eschewed almost entirely. 

World premiere recording. The orchestral realization was created using Finale 27 and NotePerformer 4.

Ambroise Thomas: Le Roman d'Elvire (1860) - Ouverture

LA GLU ("The Glue") is an opera in four acts (dubbed a 'drame musical populaire') with music by Gabriel Dupont (1878–1914). Premiered in Nice on 24 January 1910, it is based on Jean Richepin's scandalous 1881 novel (also famously dramatized starring Sarah Bernhardt in 1883), with libretto by Richepin and Henri Cain. The story takes place in a very salty 19th-century Brittany, and tells the tale of the young and dashing Marie-Pierre, and his suffering mother Marie-des-Anges, as he is seduced by the schemes of the lately-arrived Fernande, known as 'La Glu', who signs her letters with the catchphrase "Qui s'y frotte, s'y colle!" ("Rub against it, you're stuck!")

Dupont's musical setting belongs to the 'verismo' genre of opera: gritty, true-to-life characters and stories that were popular in  opera at the time. The music itself is dark and melodramatic, like the source material, and bears the hallmarks of Dupont's compositional mentors, Massenet and Widor. Never performed in Paris, the work quickly faded into obscurity following its premiere, as did most of Dupont's ouevre; dead at 36 he did not have the chance to develop his style into the burgeoning 20th century. The music presented here is from the first act - the opening Prélude, and the Interlude between the first and second scenes. World premiere recording. The orchestral realization was created using Finale 27 and NotePerformer 4.

Gabriel Dupont: La Glu (1910) - Prélude et Interlude (Acte I)

Justin T Plank

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