Briséïs

Briséïs, or Les amants de Corinthe is an operatic 'drame lyrique' by Emmanuel Chabrier with libretto by Catulle Mendès and Ephraïm Mikaël after Goethe's Die Braut von Korinth. It seems likely that Catulle Mendès (who had already provided the libretto for Gwendoline and words for Chabrier's songs Chanson de Jeanne and Lied), saw potential for an opera in Ephraïm Mikhaël and Bernard Lazare’s ‘dramatic legend’ La Fiancée de Corinthe, and suggested t... more

Briséïs, or Les amants de Corinthe is an operatic 'drame lyrique' by Emmanuel Chabrier with libretto by Catulle Mendès and Ephraïm Mikaël after Goethe's Die Braut von Korinth. It seems likely that Catulle Mendès (who had already provided the libretto for Gwendoline and words for Chabrier's songs Chanson de Jeanne and Lied), saw potential for an opera in Ephraïm Mikhaël and Bernard Lazare’s ‘dramatic legend’ La Fiancée de Corinthe, and suggested the project to Chabrier. Chabrier worked on the opera from May 1888 until 1893 when his ill-health (paralysis in the late stages of syphilis) prevented any further progress. The first act (which lasts around 75 minutes) was in a finished enough state by the end of June 1890 for Chabrier to play it to Mendès – the orchestration was then completed by the end of September of that year. In 1894 Chabrier asked Vincent d'Indy to complete the work, but it was too difficult to piece together the sketches. Due to illness, Chabrier only completed the... less