LES MARTYRS
Opéra en 4 actes
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848)
Libretto: Eugène Scribe, after Salvadore Cammarano’s libretto for ‘Poliuto’, after Pierre Corneille’s ‘Polyeucte’ (1643)
First performed: Salle le Peletier, Théâtre de l’Académie royale de Musique (Paris Opéra), 10 April 1840

SETTING: Mytilene (Turkey), c. 259 AD

PLOT: Pauline, daughter of Félix, Governor of Armenia, discovers that her husband, the magistrate Polyeucte, has converted to Christianity. The emperor Decius (reigned 249–51) has issued an edict ordering all citizens to make a sacrifice to the Roman gods; those who refuse will be tortured and executed. Polyeucte announces that he is a Christian, and overturns the statues in the temple of Jupiter. He and his friend Néarque are arrested. Pauline pleads for her husband’s life; Félix tells her that if Polyeucte repents, he will be pardoned. Instead, Polyeucte converts Pauline to Christianity. The two are devoured by lions in the arena.

‘Les Martyrs’ is a French revision of ‘Poliuto’, based on Corneille’s play, which the great tenor Adolphe Nourrit – creator of the tenor roles in Rossini’s French operas, Auber’s ‘La muette de Portici’ (1828) [ [ Ссылка ]], Meyerbeer’s ‘Robert le Diable’ (1831) [ [ Ссылка ]] and ‘Les Huguenots’ (1836) [ [ Ссылка ]], and Halévy’s ‘La juive’ (1835) [ [ Ссылка ]] – suggested to Donizetti as an opera libretto. The King of Naples banned the opera just before its performance in 1838. Nourrit had counted on the opera to make his comeback; he had left Paris after the success of Gilbert Duprez and his ‘ut de poitrine’ (high C delivered from the chest). Nourrit’s voice was failing; he went mad and committed suicide early in 1839. Donizetti revised ‘Poliuto’ for Paris with the help of Eugène Scribe. The opera was not a success; it was performed 18 times in 1840 and twice in 1843. ‘Poliuto’ was not performed in Italy until November 1848.

Gounod’s opera ‘Polyeucte’ (1878) was equally unsuccessful.

Trio : ‘L’arrêt est prononcé’
Polyeucte has been condemned to death for his Christianity. Pauline persuades the proconsul Sévère, who loves her, to be merciful, but her own father Félix, governor of Armenia, is inflexible. He publicly declared that he would kill any Christian, even if it were his own daughter.

Pauline, fille de Félix / Félix’s daughter (soprano): Joyce El-Khoury
Sévère, proconsul envoyé par l’Empereur / proconsul sent by the Emperor (baritone): David Kempster
Félix, gouverneur de l’Arménie au nom de l’Empereur Dèce / governor of Armenia in the name of Emperor Decius (bass) : Brindley Sherratt

Conductor : Sir Mark Elder
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
London 2014

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