Ludovic (opera)

Ludovic is an opéra comique in two acts to a French-language libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges. The music, by Ferdinand Hérold, was left unfinished at his death, and the work was completed by his deputy at the Opéra-Comique, Fromental Halévy. Hérold had only written the overture, four numbers and the beginning of the act 1 finale.^[1][2]

Ludovic
Opéra comique by Ferdinand Hérold (unfinished) Fromental Halévy (completed)
Ferdinand Hérold
Librettist	Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges
Language	French
Premiere	16 May 1833 (1833-05-16) Salle de la Bourse, Opéra-Comique, Paris

The plot, elements of which were later reworked by Halévy and Saint-Georges in the opera Le val d'Andorre (1847), centres on misplaced alliance, love, forced conscription, flight, pardon, and marriage.

Chopin wrote a set of variations in B-flat major, Variations brillantes, Op. 12 (1833), on the act 1 aria "Je vends des scapulaires" (I sell scapulars).

Performance history

The opera was premiered by the Paris Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse on 16 May 1833, five months after Hérold's death. It achieved 70 performances by the end of 1834, making it a modest success, which set the foundation for Halévy's career.^[3]

Roles

Roles, voice types, premiere cast

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, 16 May 1833[4]
Ludovic	tenor	Louis-Augustin Lemonnier
Nice	soprano	Marie Massy
Gregorio	baritone	Vizentini
Francesca	soprano	Félicité Pradher
Scipion	bass
Male and female farmers, soldiers

Synopsis

Place: Francesca's farm, the village of Albano, near Rome

The main characters are Ludovic, a farmer from Corsica; Francesca, who owns the farm he manages; and her cousin Gregorio. When Francesca is about to marry Gregorio, Ludovic shoots her and is sentenced to death. Francesca recovers and realizes she loves Ludovic.^[1]