Alice de Nevers

Overview

Opéra-bouffe (also called "opéra fantaisiste") in three acts and five tableaux, with words and music by Hervé (Florimond Ronger, 1825-1892). First performed at the Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques in Paris on 22 April 1875, with Hervé himself among the cast as the Prince de Ferrare (IMSLP catalogue entry; list of notable Folies-Dramatiques premieres). It was a conspicuous failure in Paris: Pascal Blanchet (Palazzetto Bru Zane) calls it a complete fiasco at its premiere and notes that Hervé abandoned writing his own libretti after it. A Courbaril-polka "sur des motifs d'Alice de Nevers" was published by E. Gérard the same year (Europeana record).

Marie and this work

The Nice premiere comes six months after Paris and is the social centrepiece of carnet 047.

• 20 October 1875, Nice. "Ce soir on donne pour la première fois Alice de Nevers, opéra-bouffe d'Hervé", in the first-tier stage box on the right, "la loge de Gioia" (047.0282). Audiffret visits her box during the evening, their first private meeting since his return; the audience applauds Hervé and also boos, and Marie says she understood nothing of the piece.
• 26-27 October. At the second hearing she finds it "charmante" and expects it to become her "favorite" like Giroflé-Girofla (048.0059), then goes about repeating fragments: the command "Partez, ar... quebuses!" and the "Oui papa!" of the eight daughters (048.0120).
• 4 November. It is given again; all the young men come to her box (048.0523).
• 7 November. At a reception, Saëtone and Gautier sing airs from it on the sofa and the others join in (049.0037).

Sources

• IMSLP, Alice de Nevers (Hervé)); Wikipedia, "Hervé".
• Pascal Blanchet, "Hervé", Palazzetto Bru Zane Médiabase (PDF "Blanchet Hervé").