La tentation

La tentation is a "ballet-opera", a hybrid work in which both singers and dancers play major roles. It was premiered in 1832 in its original five-act form by the Paris Opéra at the Salle Le Peletier. Most of the music was by Fromental Halévy, and the libretto was by Edmond Cavé and Henri Duponchel. The choreography was by Jean Coralli, and the decor by a number of hands including Eduard Bertin, Eugène Lami, Camille Roqueplan and Paul Delaroche. After the first 29 performances, mostly separate acts were performed (either the first, second, or fourth) in conjunction with another work, although it was occasionally revived in its entirety in 1833, 1834, and 1835. In all, it was given complete 46 times, and as separate acts on 60 occasions.

The format of La tentation is unusual, with both singers and dancers taking leading roles. The music for the opera sections was written by Halévy; that for the ballet portions by Halévy and Casimir Gide. The director of the Opéra, Louis Véron, wrote in his memoirs that, during the cholera epidemic in Paris;

I wished neither to make use of nor to jeopardize any of the important works of the repertory. We ... busied ourselves with ... rehearsals for La tentation. This five-act fairy tale was merely a series of tableaux, of which the chorus and the corps de ballet were the stars. [These] can always be replaced, and scenery, at least, never falls ill. La tentation ... was thus a work always in readiness for presentation.

The date of the premiere is given by Marian Smith as 12 March 1832; however the printed libretto gives the date 20 June. The music contains several direct quotations from Beethoven, including from his Fifth Symphony (in the act 2 meeting of the demons) and his Pathétique sonata.

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