About the work
Opéra romanesque with a prologue, four acts and an epilogue by Jules Massenet after the medieval verse romance 'Parthénopeus de Blois', with a libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis de Gramont. It premiered on 15 May 1889 at the Théâtre du Châtelet — the Opéra-Comique's temporary home after its 1887 fire — during the Paris World's Fair.
Plot
The Byzantine empress and sorceress Esclarmonde secretly loves the knight Roland but may only reveal herself to him on condition that he never sees her face or learns her identity. When monks expose her, the magic sword she gave Roland shatters in battle. Only after Roland fights and wins a tournament for her hand can the two openly come together.
Cultural significance
Massenet called Esclarmonde his most ambitious work and wrote its extremely demanding title role for the young American soprano Sibyl Sanderson, whose high G in Act Four became known as the Opéra-Comique's 'Eiffel note' — named after the tower completed that same year. With its leitmotifs and triple woodwind, the score is considered Massenet's most Wagnerian.