A magical and philosophical tale, L'Île de Merlin ou Le Monde renversé is a comic opera in one act composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck and premiered in Vienna in 1758. The libretto, in French, is a version revised in 1753 by Louis Anseaume of the comedy mixed with vaudeville Le Monde renversé, written by Lesage and d'Orneval in 1718.
Salle Bizet | Durée : 1h15
Abstract
After a storm, Pierrot and Scapin are shipwrecked in the kingdom of Merlin, their former master. The enchanter had promised them that one day they would make their fortune in a new land. Their despair is short-lived, however, when a well-stocked table magically appears. Their despair was short-lived, however, when a well-stocked table magically appeared, and they felt ready for love when they saw Argentina and Diamantine. But the laws of the upside-down world have many surprises in store for them. Several of the island's inhabitants (an enthusiastic philosopher, a candid prosecutor, a woman doctor and a poet knight) come to meet them and explain the customs and rules of the place. Pierrot and Scapin go on to confront their rivals Zerbin and Hanif - without violence, since they have been banished - in the hope of marrying the two young women.
Cast
The Académie de l’Opéra-Comique
A major player in operatic creation for more than three centuries, in 2023 the Opéra-Comique is opening an Académie aimed at new generations of performers.
Its aim is to promote the comic opera genre and its specific art of interpretation, as close as possible to the text and the stage. It aims to be a centre of artistic excellence for French singing and the art of the spoken and sung word. The Académie also aims to bring out and support young French-speaking artists, encouraging them to develop new ways of looking at opera and its vitality.
