The King of Ys
Édouard Lalo
Opera in three acts.
Libretto by Édouard Blau.
Premiered on May 7, 1888 at the Salle du Châtelet in Paris.
Infos
Mulhouse
La Filature
Strasbourg
Opéra
En langue française, surtitrage en français et en allemand.
Entracte compris.
Cast
Direction musicale Samy Rachid Mise en scène Olivier Py Décors, costumes Pierre-André Weitz Lumières Bertrand Killy Chœur de l’Opéra national du Rhin, Orchestre national de Mulhouse
Artists
Le Roi d’Ys Patrick Bolleire Margared Anaïk Morel Rozenn Lauranne Oliva Mylio Julien Henric Karnac Jean-Kristof Bouton
Presentation
The magnificent city of Ys, the pride of Brittany, lies on reclaimed land in the Baie de Douarnenez. To protect Ys from flooding, a dike was built with a gate to let in ships at low tide that could only be opened by one key, held by the king. As part of a peace deal, Margared, the eldest daughter of the King of Ys, is betrothed to the city’s former adversary Prince Karnac. But during the wedding ceremony, Margared learns that her beloved Mylio, long thought to have been lost at sea, is back. She refuses to go ahead with the marriage, and a fresh war ensues. Margared is overcome with jealousy when she discovers that the King has promised her sister Rozenn’s hand to Mylio if he defeats Karnac’s army. The vengeful Margared plots to give the keys to the city gates to her citizens’ enemy, proving once again that, in the world of opera at least, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
The King of Ys libretto is loosely inspired by the Breton legends about King Gradlon, Princess Dahut, and the mythical city of Ys whose watery fate echoes the story of Atlantis. Édouard Lalo’s interest in the mystical folklore of Brittany was sparked by his second wife, a contralto of Breton origin, for whom he wrote the role of Margared. Initially turned down by every opera house in Paris, the work was finally performed by the Opéra-Comique in 1888. Lalo was nonetheless delighted by this delayed recognition, as his contemporaries has dubbed the work “Wagnerian” —a description that pleased him as an admirer of Wagner’s compositions. French conductor Samy Rachid, who moved from the Opéra Studio to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, now leads this powerfully scored masterpiece in a fresh production by Olivier Py, whose return to the OnR has generated much excitement.