Modern Premiere History

In its 25-year history, the company has built a reputation for returning to the stage important operatic works lost to the passage of time. Each modern premiere introduces works that were popular in their day, influenced the composers of today’s musical canon, and maintain contemporary relevance. This musical preservation requires rigorous research by musicologists at the forefront of today’s research. Will Crutchfield’s included article “Imagining Florestan” gives insights into the ways in which many historical sources are consulted in the process of bringing a lost work to life.

Since 2005, Opera Lafayette has performed 12 modern world- or American-premieres:

Œdipe à Colone* by Sacchini (2005) Zélindor, roi des Sylphes by Rebel/Francœur (2007) Le Déserteur* by Monsigny (2009) Sancho Pança* by Philidor (2010) Le Magnifique by Grétry (2011) Le Roi et le fermier by Monsigny (2012) Lalla Roukh by David (2013) Le Femme Vengées by Philidor (2013-2014) L’Épreuve villagoise by Grétry (2015) Léonore, ou L’ Amour conjugal by Gaveaux (2017) Erminia* by Scarlatti (2018) Cerere Placata by Jommelli (2018)

Central to Opera Lafayette’s mission is building a legacy for these significant works, which is accomplished through scholarly articles, mounting revivals, and recording an extensive discography. (See Recordings on pages 35-36.)

WHAT IS A MODERN WORLD / MODERN AMERICAN PREMIERE?

A modern premiere is a professional performance of a work not presented in the modern era (since World War I) in either the world or in the United State of America.

* indicates modern American premiere