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Considered by many to be Gounod's musical masterpiece, Mireille (1864) is a score of passionate, breathtaking originality, evoking the ambience of Provence in the height of summer. Michel Carré's libretto, based on the poem Mireio by cult author Frédéric Mistral, tells the tale of thwarted lovers Mireille and Vincent, separated by their social standing. Joyful Provençal peasant celebrations contrast with a world where superstitions and fear can lead to destruction.
Defying her cruel father, Mireille sets out to find her lover against all odds, and perishes in the stifling midday heat of the Crau Desert.
NSO's semi-staged performances use the five act version reconstructed by Henri Busser in 1939, which represents Gounod's original intentions for the opera. The English translation is by Hugh Macdonald.
Defying her cruel father, Mireille sets out to find her lover against all odds, and perishes in the stifling midday heat of the Crau Desert.
NSO's semi-staged performances use the five act version reconstructed by Henri Busser in 1939, which represents Gounod's original intentions for the opera. The English translation is by Hugh Macdonald.
