Social Sciences

Once a giant of 19th-century French opera, Daniel Auber partnered with librettist Eugène Scribe for his first enduring success, Le Maçon. In this thrilling rescue opera, a Parisian mason is abducted and must become a hero to save the innocent.

Auber’s grand opera La Muette de Portici is a key work in operatic history. Set against the 1647 revolt in Naples, its revolutionary tale was so potent that a performance in Brussels on 25 August 1830 sparked the uprising for Belgian independence.

Auber, a leading 19th-century French composer, lived through four revolutions. His opera *L’Enfant prodigue*, written with librettist Eugène Scribe, retells the famous biblical parable with elegant, restrained art and subtle orchestral charm.

Auber was one of the most successful French opera composers of the 19th century. His opéra-comique Zanetta, with librettist Eugène Scribe, is a tale of courtly intrigue where a nobleman’s fake courtship of a gardener’s daughter leads to true love.

19th-century French composer Auber and librettist Scribe formed one of musical history’s most successful partnerships. Their opera *Manon Lescaut* features a unique final scene: a powerfully expressive dramatic symphony of simple grandeur and real emotion.

Auber and Scribe’s masterful opéra-comique Haydée is one of the composer’s richest scores. A Venetian admiral is haunted by guilt after cheating a friend who then killed himself. Blackmail, love, and Venetian pomp drive this psychological drama.

Once a star of 19th-century French opera, Auber collaborated with librettist Scribe on *Jenny Bell*. Set in London, a diva loves a nobleman whose father objects. Featuring English motifs, this rich score is a charming work to be rediscovered.

Auber, one of the 19th century’s most successful French composers, collaborated with librettist Scribe on *Le Serment*. In this tale of love and honor, an oath protects a secret brigand, set to refined music with a brilliant soprano showpiece.

From celebrated 19th-century French composer Auber comes his last great success. In colonial India, French officer Gaston de Mailleprés loves an English woman. Taken prisoner and condemned to death, can he survive to see his first day of happiness?

In Auber’s opéra-comique La Sirène, travellers are caught in an ambush after hearing the entrancing song of Zerlina, the Siren. She aids her bandit brother, but when she falls for their handsome captive, a tale of romance and revealed identities begins.