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Panurge dans l'Isle des Lanternes (1785) - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry
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Background
Panurge, like Colinette à la cour, features recitative, rather than spoken dialogue. In his memoirs, Grétry recognized Panurge for being the first comic opera to enjoy a successful run at the Opéra, and he saw it as a turning point for this theater, which traditionally presented serious plots.[1]
The overture to Panurge was featured on concerts in the nineteenth century, and although the opera eventually disappeared from the repertoire, its long stint was noted as late as 1866, by which time it was no longer being performed.[2]
[1] André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry, Memoires; ou, Essais sur la musique, vol. 1 (New York: Da Capo Press, 1971), 377.
[2] Felix Crozet, Revue de la musique dramatique en France (Grenoble: Imprimerie de Prudhomme, 1866), 275-76.
Plot
At the entrance to the Temple, preparations are being made for the feast of the lantern goddess. The choir invokes the goddess, asking her to bless Acaste’s marriage to Agarenne and Zénire’s union with Zirphile. Climène urges the young lovers not to wait for approval, but to marry quickly. She fears that they might become the victims of infidelity, as she herself once was.
The Temple doors open, and soon the High Priest arrives to convey the goddess’ message: she will bless the marriages only if, after a storm, a stranger arrives and is charmed equally by Agarenne and Zirphile. Indeed, a storm soon passes, and Panurge appears in a lifeboat in the middle of the sea, imploring the people of the island to save him. Once brought ashore, Panurge is welcomed by the islanders who invite him to stay and come to the ball.
At the opening of Act Two, the audience learns that Panurge is in fact the man who abandoned Climène in her youth, and that Climène wants to take revenge on him. Meanwhile, Zirphile begins to fear that he will lose Zénire to Panurge. It is Zénire who proposes that she and Agarenne both pretend to be enamored with Panurge in order to “fulfill” the goddess’ demands.
Zirphile and Agarenne hide as Zénire flatters Panurge, who becomes easily convinced that the young woman loves him. Agarenne enters and pretends to be jealous of Panurge’s interest in Zénire; Panurge quickly finds himself torn between the two young women. Zénire and Agarenne leave, and Climène, disguised as the master of ceremonies, soon enters and leads Panurge to the ball. She promises to help him with his difficult decision of which of the two women to marry, and urges him to make the choice based on love.
At the ball, Climène introduces Panurge as a guest of the island and places him between Zénire and Agarenne. As Panurge is still unable to decide between the two, Climène suggests that he follow the Island’s purported tradition of consulting the wise woman Sibylle. Panurge readily agrees.
As Act Three opens, Climène reveals to Zirphile and Acaste that Panurge was her husband, and that by disguising herself as Sibylle she will be able to carry out her revenge on him. Panurge arrives and Climène hides, leaving him to find Zirphile and Acaste. The young men, who now understand the game, flatter the stranger, and “agree” to let Panurge choose one of the two women for his wife. Once alone, Panurge invokes Sibylle. Climène arrives in disguise: seemingly responding to his request for help, she reveals to Panurge that she knows that he was once married. Reminded of his first marriage (of which he had apparently forgotten), Panurge decides not to marry again. At this point, Sibylle exclaims that Climène is still alive and that, though she has suffered, she still loves Panurge. And now, all of a sudden, Panurge expresses his desire to love her again.
As the island is assembled to hear of Panurge’s choice of a bride, Climène arrives and reveals that she, in fact, is his wife. The two are reunited. The High Priest calls on the goddess to show herself. When she arrives, she declares that her desires were fulfilled, and blesses the unions of the lovers.
Bibliography
Title from title page: PANURGE / DANS L’ISLE DES LANTERNES / Comédie Lirique en Trois Actes
Genre: Comédie lyrique
Composer: André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry, 1741-1813
Librettist (French): Morel de Chédeville, no dates
Libretto based on: A work by François Parfaict
Setting: An island
Premiere: Paris, Opéra, 25 January 1785
First published: Paris: Houbaut et Huguet, n.d.
Volume in the UNT Collection: First edition, Paris: Houbaut et Huguet, n.d.
For further reading on Panurge dans l’île des lanternes, see:
Brenet, Michel. Grétry, sa vie et ses œuvres. Paris, 1884.
Charlton, David. Grétry and the Growth of Opéra-comique. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Charlton, David and Elizabeth C. Bartlet. “Grétry, André-Ernest-Modeste.” Grove Music Online, ed. Laura Macy. [Accessed 17 December 2003]. <http://www.grovemusic.com>
Vendrix, Philippe, ed. Grétry et l’Europe de l’opéra-comique. Liège: Mardaga, 1992.
Physical
Dimensions: 35 x 33.5 cm.
Conservation: Slight foxing and some smudges.
Binding: Green leather; boards are warped.
Comments: UNT ownership stamps; Leduc advertisement clipping pasted on title page.