Guercœur

Guercoeur is an opera in three acts by the French composer Albéric Magnard to his own libretto. It was first performed posthumously at the Paris Opéra on 24 April 1931, though it had mostly been written between 1897 and 1901. The composer died trying to save his house from the invading Germans at the beginning of World War I in 1914 and the score was partially destroyed in the resulting fire. Magnard's friend Guy Ropartz reconstructed the missing sections so the opera could be staged. The music shows the strong influence of Wagner.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast Conductor: François Ruhlmann
Guercoeur	baritone	Arthur Endrèze
Heurtal	tenor	Victor Forti
Giselle	soprano	Marisa Ferrer
La Verité	soprano	Yvonne Gall

Synopsis

Guercoeur, the wise ruler of a Medieval city-state, has died. In Heaven, he begs to be allowed to return to save his city. His wish is granted but he finds his best friend, Heurtal, has become the lover of his widow, Giselle, and is planning to rule as a despot.

Recordings

• Guercoeur José van Dam, Hildegard Behrens, Gary Lakes, Nadine Denize, Orféon Donostiarra, Toulouse Capitole Orchestra, conducted by Michel Plasson (EMI)

Sources

• Penguin Guide to Opera on Compact Discs (1993)
• Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)
• Amadeus Online