Isoline (opera)

Isoline is an opera, described as a 'conte de fées' (fairy story) in three acts and ten tableaux, on a text by Catulle Mendès, with music by André Messager.

In mid-1888 Catulle Mendès had promised the libretto of Isoline to Chabrier but according to the writer, the Théâtre de la Renaissance wanted Messager to write the music, as he was better known for writing operettas and Chabrier had "too much talent, a talent too epic and grand".

Messager had already composed incidental music for Le petit Poucet, a 'féérie' staged at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in 1885. Messager probably wrote some of the score at Montivillers, near to Le Havre; in order to complete the orchestration in time, he was assisted by Paul Lacome, a composer and friend of Chabrier. Just after the première, the theatre started heading towards bankruptcy, although nearly 60 performances took place up to mid February (with the conductor Paul Letombe).

Isoline was premiered at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris on 26 December 1888. In the initial run Isoline was staged for one matinee and 57 evenings, closing on 20 February 1889.

In 1930, Reynaldo Hahn directed a single performance at the Casino in Cannes. The Opéra-Comique gave a series of performances in 1958 directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and conducted by Georges Prêtre. Liliane Berton sang Isoline, Gabriel Bacquier Obéron, and Isolin was made into a tenor, sung by Alain Vanzo.

Three broadcast recordings have been made of the work:

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