(complete)
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Capricho # 32 (1799)
Jules Claretie's story, La Cigarette, was the source from which Henri Cain obtained the material for the libretto of this opera. He was accused of making the heroine the central figure instead of the hero, but that was done because the opera was admittedly written to give Emma Calvé another opportunity to reveal her rare gifts of dramatic impersonation.
When this opera was first produced, Massenet was accused of having been led by the extraordinary success of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana to try his hand also at the "blood and thunder" veristic style. But Mascagni's opera appeared in 1890, and was an immediate success. If Massenet had really wanted to benefit by the excitement over this new type of short opera, he surely would have done so at once, instead of waiting half a decade.
On the other hand, one reason why Massenet was eager to write a war opera was that it gave him a welcome opportunity to show his critics that he was able to do something entirely different from his usual style of sentimental, tender, amorous effusions. A love story runs through La Navarraise, too, but it is almost smothered in the fumes of gunpowder.
The cast at the London première of La Navarraise, in 1894, was exceptionally strong; it included, besides Calvé, Alvarez, Gilibert, Plançon, Bonnard, Dufriche.
Complete Libretto
