L'Opéra du pauvre (English: Poor's Opera) is a piece for voices and orchestra formalized by Léo Ferré as a quadruple concept album released in 1983. This dreamlike and wry plea in favor of the Night, symbol of imagination and subversiveness for Ferré, synthesizes all aspects of the French poet and musician.
History
L'Opéra du pauvre comes from a "lyrical" ballet titled The Night, written in 1956 at the request of choreographer and dancer Roland Petit, within the Revue des Ballets de Paris. The piece was abandoned by Petit after a few performances (critics being severely negative). Ferré published the libretto same year at La Table Ronde Editions. This work stayed then on the shelf for twenty-six years.
It was after the triple LPLudwig - L'Imaginaire - Le Bateau ivre was released in 1982, that Léo Ferré decided to dedicate his upcoming year to bring The Night back to life. As time had passed, Ferré had accumulated a lot of material, and he chose to enrich his original text and score with elements from various sources, thus creating a new Baroque work of much larger scope (it would take four LP to hold this whole new version).
Roles
Léo Ferré changes his voice and acts all parts.
Narrator
The Night, defendant
The Raven, presiding judge
The Cock, prosecutor
The Owl, Night's attorney
The Cat, court clerk
The Nun, witness
The Rose, witness
Calva, night-club landlord and witness
Miseria, witness
The Glow-worm, witness
The two Prostitutes, witnesses
The Child, witness
The Casino Player, witness
The Candle, witness
Death, witness
The Blue Whale, witness
The Poet, witness
Hearing audience
Saint Peter's voice & various voices
Synopsis
The Night is accused of having murdered Lady Shadow, who is missing. The opera depicts Night's trial by the "day people", allegorized by animals. The judge is a raven, prosecutor is a cock and Night's attorney is an owl. Witnesses, all night owls for some reason of their own, are called to the bar and try to save the Night.
