SILVAIN

André Grétry, composer 
Jean-François Marmontel, librettist 
ryan brown, conductor

in french with dialogue in english, and with english supertitles

Silvain (1770) was both a favorite of Marie-Antoinette in France and the first opera performed in New Orleans in 1796.  Surprisingly, the opera’s story of family conflict and reconciliation also upheld the rights of peasants to use land owned by the nobles.   

In the early 19th century, French entrepreneurs moved to the American southwest and acquired vast tracts of land from the Mexican government. They guaranteed the peasants who settled these lands the same privileges as those at the center of the drama in Grétry and Marmontel’s opera. Conflicts around these rights in the United States have continued to the present day, and this story’s resonance in the New World has inspired Opera Lafayette’s setting of this modern premiere of Silvain.  

Performances

Reviews

Opera Lafayette’s Silvain: Pretty Music Yes, But More, Opera Gene, Richard Beams

Opera Lafayette Revives a Grétry Comic Opera, with a Charming American Twist, Washington Classical Review, Charles Downey

Forthcoming: Opera Canada, OPERA, Parterre Box, Opera News

Presenting

Artistic Team

Ryan Brown, conductor  
Tania Hernández Velasco, stage direction and scenic images  
Patricia Michaels, costume design 
Josh Higgason, projection design 
Linn Cary Mehta, translation and adaptation

Cast (in order of appearance)

Camille Ortiz, Hélène
Victor Sicard , Dolmon, Fils ainé, sous le nom de Silvain
Samantha Louis-Jean, Pauline
Teresa Castillo, Lucette
Jehú Otero, Bazile
Zack Powell, Dolmon, Fils Cadet
Nathan Berg, Dolmon père 
The Opera Lafayette Orchestra

Chorus

Juan Hernandez
Gilbert Chavez
Jose M. Pietri-Coimbre