Favorita, La: Ballet Music [2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(2): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set)]

LA FAVORITA (THE FAVORITE) is an opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848). The libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaez is based on the play LE COMTE DE COMMINGES by Francois-Thomas-Marie de Baculard d'Arnaud. On the brink of taking his monastic vows, the young novice Fernand declares that he has fallen in love with a lady whose identity remains unrevealed to him. He discovers her to be Leonor, the mistress of Alfonso XI, the King of Castile. Receiving an army commission from her, he earns a prize from the king himself for his success on the battlefield. When he announces his wish to marry Leonor, further revelations lead to her arrest. He decides to return to monastic life, but her exhausted appearance persuades him to declare his love for her again before she dies in his arms. The opera premiered at the Salle Le Peletier in Paris on December 2, 1840. To meet the demands of the French grand opera tradition, a ballet was presented in the third act, blending the French courtly style with an Italian melodic charm. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(2): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition.