Why on earth was Ernelinde, Princess of Norway dedicated by the Frenchman Philidor to the Countess of Forbach ? Born in Strasbourg in 1734, Marie-Anne Camasse, an actress and dancer, married the Duke of Deux-Ponts and led a considerable intellectual life from Mannheim to Deux-Ponts and Forbach, then to Paris where she was close to Diderot, Louis XV and Marie-Antoinette… and finally to the Court of Empress Josephine in Paris !

A considerable composer and world-renowned chess player, Philidor was a pivotal figure in French opera in the late 18th century. His Ernelinde, Princess of Norway was hailed at the time as a very modern composition, paving the way for Gluck and the reformed French opera under the reign of Louis XVI. Music inspired by Pergolesi and the other great Italian masters, a drama distilled into just three acts, vocal writing that is by turns  virtuosic and heroic, and picturesque ballets are all qualities that distinguish Philidor’s score as extremely singular for its time.

Naturally, this work is revived by the Norwegian performers of Orkester Nord.

Coproduction Royal Opera / Château de Versailles Spectacles, Orkester Nord.

This program will be recorded on a CD to be released on the Château de Versailles Spectacles label.

François-André Danican Philidor (1726-1795)
Ernelinde, Princess of Norway

Lyric tragedy in three acts, with libretto by Antoine Poinsinet, first performed in Paris in 1767.

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