About the work
Operetta in three acts by Arthur Honegger to a libretto by Albert Willemetz, based on Pierre Louÿs' satirical 1901 novel "Les aventures du roi Pausole". Honegger composed the work in 1929–30, his first venture into the lighter genre; it premiered on 12 December 1930 at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris and went on to more than 500 further performances.
Plot
King Pausole rules the fictional kingdom of Tryphème, whose 366 wives each serve as queen for one day a year in turn. When his daughter Aline elopes with a young man, the king sets off with his retinue on a chaotic search that leads to a series of erotic-comic complications.
Cultural significance
With touches of Spanish folklore and jazz, Honegger here audibly departs from the more serious tone of works such as "Antigone" or his later oratorios. The operetta is considered his most successful stage work in the lighter genre.