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Le domino noir

Черное домино

Additional recitatives and introduction to a chorus for the opera by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (1868).

History

The music to Auber's opera Le domino noir was written at the request of Eugenio Merelli, impresario for the Italian Opera company in Moscow, for inclusion in an intended benefit performance for the singer Désirée Artôt. Tchaikovsky wrote about this work on 21 October/2 November 1868 to Anatolii Tchaikovsky: "I am terribly busy at the moment writing recitatives and a chorus for Auber's Domino Noir, which is being put on for Artôt's benefit' [1]. Tchaikovsky’s haste turned out to be unnecessary, as Le domino noir was not performed in the 1868/69 season.

The first performance of Auber's opera with Tchaikovsky's additional numbers eventually took place on 10/22 January 1870, at Cantoni's benefit. The concert bill read: "Le domino noir, comic opera in 3 acts. Music composed by Auber. Introduction to a chorus in Act I and recitatives composed by P. Tchaikovsky (for the first time)". According an account to Eugene Merelli, Tchaikovsky’s wrote an orchestral introduction to a chorus in the first act, and recitatives for all the performers [2]. Merelli paid the composer 150 roubles for this work. Désirée Artôt sang in all the productions, and which by the close of the winter season amounted to around ten performances.

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), p. 485
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston

Notes:

1. Letter 122 to Anatolii Tchaikovsky, 21 October/2 November 1868 [back]
2. Preserved in the State Central Archive for Literature and the Arts, Moscow [back]