About the work
Adrien is an opera by Étienne-Nicolas Méhul to a libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman, based on Metastasio's "Adriano in Siria". Composed as early as 1791, ongoing political censorship delayed its premiere at the Paris Opéra until 4 June 1799.
Plot
The Roman general Adrien falls in love with Émirène, a captive Parthian princess, while his betrothed Sabine arrives to claim him. After military entanglements, Adrien shows magnanimity: he pardons Émirène's father Cosroès, allows her marriage to Pharnaspe, and still asks the spurned Sabine to become empress at his side.
Cultural significance
The original version fell victim to revolutionary censorship in 1792; the revised version had to demote its title character from emperor to general before it could reach the stage in 1799. Hector Berlioz later praised the unpublished score as one of Méhul's finest. In 2012 the Palazzetto Bru Zane released the first complete recording, conducted by György Vashegyi.