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''Mirette'' is an opéra comique in three acts composed by André Messager, first produced at the Savoy Theatre, London, on 3 July 1894. ''Mirette'' exists in two distinct versions. The first version of the libretto was written in French by Michel Carré but this was never performed. English lyrics were written by Frederic E. Weatherly, and English dialogue based on the Carré libretto was written by Harry Greenbank. This first English version of the opera ran for only 41 performances, closing on 11 August 1894. This was the shortest run of any opera produced at the Savoy Theatre under the management of Richard D'Oyly Carte. The second version, advertised as a "new version with new lyrics by Adrian Ross," ran strongly for 61 performances, from 6 October 1894 to 6 December 1894 but was withdrawn because a new opera by Arthur Sullivan, ''The Chieftain'', was ready to open. Both versions essentially tell the same story, with the second version emphasizing comedy over the romance of the first version. The music has been mostly forgotten. However, one song ("Long ago in Alcala") became very popular in the United States in the early years of the twentieth century, though it was not credited as being from ''Mirette''. The piece featured Savoy regulars Courtice Pounds (Picorin), Rosina Brandram (Marquise), Scott Russell (Bertuccio), Emmie Owen (Zerbinette), Florence Perry (Bianca), R. Scott Fishe (Gerard de Montigny), and Walter Passmore (Bobinet). Richard Temple joined in the revised version, as did the experienced singer Florence St. John, who made her Savoy debut in the work. == Background == ===Genesis and production=== Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Utopia Limited'' was playing more weakly than its producer, Richard D'Oyly Carte, had expected, and he anticipated that he would need a new work for the Savoy Theatre for the summer of 1894. Messager was enjoying a growing international reputation, and Carte had already produced Messager's opera ''La Basoche'' at his Royal English Opera House in 1891-92. Carte commissioned Messager to write ''Mirette'', his first opera for British audiences. Later Messager works would prove to be more successful in England, including ''The Little Michus'' (1897), ''Véronique'' (which became a hit in London in 1904, six years after its 1898 Paris premiere), and ''Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1919, based on the novel by Booth Tarkington). The libretto for ''Mirette'' was written in French by Carré. Some of the music was composed before Weatherly translated and rewrote the lyrics and Greenback translated the dialogue. To assist Messager in what was for him (at the time) an unfamiliar idiom, he enlisted the help of songwriter Hope Temple, ''née'' Dotie (Alice Maude) Davis (1859-1938), who later became his wife. She may even have written some of the songs; but though Messager acknowledged her help, she is not credited on any source and it is unknown what, if anything, she contributed to the score. The original version of ''Mirette'' opened at the Savoy Theatre, London, on 3 July 1894 and closed on 11 August 1894. It draws heavily on Balfe's opera ''The Bohemian Girl'' (1843) and uses various shopworn theatrical devices and conventions, including the gypsy background (featured in ''The Bohemian Girl'' as well), a romance across class and station, the desertion of the bride at her betrothal ceremony, and the antics of the comedian. These would have been very familiar to London audiences at the time. Furthermore, this romantic type of opera was out of place at the Savoy Theatre, which was the home of Gilbert and Sullivan and their unique kind of less sentimental comic opera. Carte asked popular lyricist Adrian Ross to rewrite the piece with as much emphasis on comedy as possible. Ross reduced the romantic parts (though he retained the Mirette-Gerard-Picorin-Bianca story) while boosting the comic part of Bobinet for Passmore, making the role of the Marquise lighter, and emphasizing past Savoy successes by strengthening the subplot regarding the past love between the Marquise and the Baron. He also rewrote existing lyrics and introduced more opportunities for dance numbers. Though Walter Passmore had created smaller roles in ''Jane Annie'' and ''Utopia Limited'', the role of Bobinet was his first real starring part. In the fall of 1894, Passmore named his new daughter Mirette, perhaps in acknowledgement of his success in this breakout role. Cast changes, including adding another Savoy favourite, Richard Temple, as the Baron and engaging the soprano Florence St. John as Mirette, turned ''Mirette'' into something of a success. It opened on 6 October 1894 and was still going strong when it was withdrawn to make way for a new Sullivan opera, ''The Chieftain''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mirette (opera)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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