About the work
Opéra comique in three acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer to a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, premiered on 4 April 1859 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Set in Brittany, it combines a love story with the folk belief surrounding the "pardon," a Breton pilgrimage of atonement.
Plot
The young Dinorah is abandoned by her betrothed Hoël on their wedding day, as he chases after a supposedly enchanted treasure, and loses her mind; from then on she wanders the countryside accompanied by her goat Bellah. While searching for the treasure with the piper Corentin, Hoël is caught in a storm during which Dinorah nearly drowns in a river. Rescuing her makes Hoël repent his desertion, and Dinorah gradually regains her sanity.
Cultural significance
Especially famous is Dinorah's virtuoso coloratura aria "Ombre légère" in Act II, still regarded today as a touchstone for sopranos. With this lighter opéra comique alongside his large-scale grand operas, Meyerbeer demonstrated his stylistic range.