La journée aux aventures (The Day of Adventures) is an opera by the French composer Étienne Méhul. It takes the form of an opéra comique in three acts. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris on 16 November 1816. The libretto is by Pierre-David-Augustin Chapelle and Louis Mezières-Miot.Bartlet, p.xiv This was the last of the composer's works to be premiered in his lifetime and was a great success; it enjoyed 66 performances before the end of 1817 and helped remedy the financial problems of the Opéra-Comique.Pougin, pp.333–335 It was revived to acclaim in a German translation in Berlin in December 1839.Adélaïde de Place, pp.147–148
Roles RoleVoice typeAccording to the score clefs, with the caveat that, in this opera, all tenor parts are notated in the alto clef, which was ordinarily used only for the haute-contre voice.Premiere CastGercour, a captain of dragoonshaute-contrePaul Dutreck called 'Paul'Florval, his friendhaute-contreAuguste HuetDanville, an officer of the hussars, nephew of the Marquise de Gernancehaute-contreLouis-Antoine-Eléonor PonchardBertrand, a farmerbasse-taille (bass-baritone)Mr. DarancourtAntonin, a young peasant, a little simple and teasinghaute-contreMr. MoreauThe Marquise de GernancesopranoMme CrétuShe was born Anne-Marie Simonet (1763–1829) and was also known as Mme Cretu, after her married name.Madame de Surville, her niecesopranoMarie Julie BoulangerGermaine, a farmer's wifesopranoMarie DesbrossesRosette, her daughtersopranoMme GavaudanShe was born Alexandrine-Marie-Agathe Ducamel (1781–1850) and became known as Mme Gavaudan after marrying tenor Jean-Baptiste-Sauveur Gavaudan (1772–1840).François, the Marquise's intendantspokenMr. AlerHead guard of the châteaubasse-tailleRollandA valetspoken?Chorus: Guards of the château, villagers
References
Sources Printed score: La Journée aux Aventures//Opéra Comique en trois Actes et en Prose, Paroles de MM. Capelle et Mézières, Musique de Mr. Méhul..., Paris, Petit, s.d. (accessible for free online at the Internet Archive) Adélaïde de Place Étienne Nicolas Méhul (Bleu Nuit Éditeur, 2005) Arthur Pougin Méhul: sa vie, son génie, son caractère (Fischbacher, 1889) General introduction to Méhul's operas in the introduction to the edition of Stratonice by M. Elizabeth C. Bartlet (Pendragon Press, 1997)