Bob’s World of J. Massenet Don César de Bazan


	Bob’s World of

on ésar de azan

Opéra-Comique en 4 Actes.

Libretto by MM. A. D'Ennery & J. Chantepie

Music by Jules Massenet

First performance: Paris' Opéra-Comique on Nov. 30, 1872.

First Cast:

Don César                                                                         Jacques Bouhy
Charles II                                                                                  Paul Lherie
Don José                                                                                           Neveu
Captain of the Guards                                                                  Bernard
Maritana                                   Priola (Marguérite-Marie Sophie Pollart)
Lazarille                                                                          Marie-Galli-Marié
Conductor                                                                                       Deloffre

The revised version of the opera was premiered in Geneva on January 20, 1888 and played several other venues in the next year, finally be revived in Paris in 1912.

The source of Don César de Bazan is a character and situation in Victor Hugo’s Ruy Blas, The play by d’Énnery, and J. Chantepie, Don César de Bazan, was the direct source of the opera.

   Act I takes place in a public square in Madrid during Holy Week. There is a tavern on one side of the square; the gate to a well-kept garden. The crowd clamor for Maritana, the Gypsy girl, to sing one of her seductive songs.
   Maritana enters and sings about a Gypsy girl who falls in love with a handsome squire, who turns out to be the king. She pines for she knows she cannot marry him. Ironically, in the crowd is the King, who is being watched by Prime Minister, Don José de Santarem. She accepts coins from the crowd and soon is face to face with the King. She demands payment and he hastily throws some coins and moves away. The amount of the contribution reveals to Don José that the king is in love with her.
   Maritana offers to tell fortunes within an hour and the crowd promises to return at the appointed time. The king, left alone, sings of his desire for the Gypsy.
   After the king as left the square, Don César, looking the poor nobleman, enters and sings a Jota Aragonesa, which is interrupted by some soldiers pursuing and capturing a youth. Don César, appalled by the handling of the youth, challenges the captain to a duel. The captain refuses to duel with a beggar. Don César reveals his real identity, the Count of Garofa, and demands satisfaction.
   Don José, in disguise, advises Don César not to fight because it is Holy Week and any one who duels will be put to death.   Don César doesn’t care and attacks the captain with fervor.
   Maritana is pressed by the crowd to reveal their fortunes. After several fortunes are revealed, Maritana takes Don José’s hand and sees through his disguise.   Don José promises her grandeur and riches and is about to make a demand in return, when Don César returns having vanquished the captain. Don César tries to exit through the square but the soldiers block all the exits. The soldiers arrest Don César.
   Don José announces, as Don César is taken to jail, that tomorrow Maritana will be a Duchess.
   Act II takes place in a room of a fortress, where Don César is waiting to be tried. The youth, Lazarille, waits with Don César who is sleeping. Don César sits up and tells him of his life in a sad song.
   Don José enters to visit his former friend and requests his Don César’s help. Don José reveals the plot: he is in love with the queen who refuses to betray her husband as long as he is faithful to her. He also knows that the king is in love with a Gypsy girl. Don José offers Don César an easier death if he will marry her. Then Gypsy will then be a noblewoman and worthy of the king’s attention and the queen will see his infidelity. The bridge will be veiled and he must ask her no questions. Don José also agreed to take care of the youth.
   Don César agrees and toasts his impending marriage with a rambunctious drinking song, which is interrupted by the reading of his death sentence. Upon the entry of the veiled bride, Don César salutes her with a gallant madrigal. Don César is lead to his appointment with death. Lazarille vows never to forget his benefactor and the music is interrupted again, this time by the discharge of rifles.
   Don José leads off Maritana trying to placate her fears. The room gets dark as night begins to fall. Lazarille peers in momentarily and he and Don César enter. It seems that Lazarille has removed the live ammunition and signaled Don César to fall at the right moment. The youth produces the key to the gate of the prison and urges Don César to flee the city.
   Don César takes the key and leaves looking forward to the new adventures in a nameless life. Lazarille disappears into the dark fortress.
   Act III, Scene 1 begins with an interlude called the Entr’act Sevillana (later turned into a coloratura song).   Maritana, now an elegant duchess, is alone in her room in the Palace of San Fernando. She muses of the stranger who she was forced to marry (she was told he was being exiled) and wonders if he will return to rescue her.
   Disguised as Don César, the king enters and claims to have returned from exile. She knows that it is not her husband and rejects the advances of the king. He leads her out of the room.
   The real Don César arrives with Lazarille in search for his legally wedded wife. Don César promised Lazarille a reward of his asking. Maritana returns and surprised by her real husband. She convinces them that she had no part in the plot and Don César is eager to settle down with the purified pleasures of love. Maritana responds gently that she is happy.
   Maritana tells Don César that she is caught in the intrigue with the King and Don José. She realizes that her only hope is with a jealous queen.
Act III, Scene 2 takes place at Don César estate.   The king rants about the rejection of Maritana and plans to use his power to make her submit. Don César and Maritana interrupt the King’s tirade. The King offers to fight Don César for one kiss from Maritana, but Don César will not fight the king. Instead, he reveals Don José’s plot is motivated by his love for the Queen. The King offers Don César a governorship and Lazarille is rewarded by being promised a good life if he follows Don César. The couple sing of their great expectations and noblemen assembled praise the just King.

The libretto was published by Tresse, Libraire-Éditeur in Paris in 1872. The title pages states "Mise en scène de M. Ch. Ponchard.” Again the published libretto does not agree with the published score by G. Hartmann.

1872

The score and orchestral parts were destroyed in a fire at the Opéra-Comique in 1887. Massenet rewrote the work, revising both the script and score for a revival in several European opera houses, including Geneva, Antwerp, Nantes and Nice.

1888