Mélidore et Phrosine

Mélidore et Phrosine is an opera by the French composer Étienne Méhul. It takes the form of a drame lyrique (a type of opéra comique) in three acts. The libretto, by Antoine Vincent Arnault, is loosely based on the myth of Hero and Leander. The work was first performed at the Théâtre Favart, Paris on 6 May 1794. It is an important example of early Romantic opera.

Arnault derived his libretto from Gentil-Bernard's narrative poem Phrosine et Mélidore. In his memoirs, he describes the trouble he had with the French Revolutionary censorship of the time. He submitted the libretto to the censor Jean-Baptiste Baudrais, who found "nothing innocent in it." Baudrais explained: "It's not enough...that a work is not against us, it must be for us. The spirit of your opera is not republican; the behaviour of your characters is not republican; the word 'liberty!' is not pronounced a single time. You must bring your opera in harmony with our institutions." Fortunately for Arnault, he was able to enlist the help of the writer Legouvé who added a few more lines to the libretto, containing enough references to liberty to satisfy Baudrais.

The opera was a moderate success and divided the critics, some of whom saw it as a masterpiece, others complaining of its lack of simplicity. Arnault was unimpressed by the performance of the tenor Solié, who was subsequently replaced by Jean Elleviou. In the troubled atmosphere in the weeks before the fall of Robespierre, Arnault continued to worry that the opera would attract unwelcome attention from the authorities, but Méhul was on friendly terms with the leading politician Bertrand Barère. Shortly after, the composer wrote his most famous work of Revolutionary propaganda music, the Chant du départ.

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