About the work
Euphrosine ou Le tyran corrigé was Méhul's first successful opera, originally a five-act comédie mise en musique with a libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman. It premiered on 4 September 1790 at the Comédie-Italienne (Salle Favart) in Paris; Méhul and Hoffman cut it to three acts in 1792–93 and revised the third act again in 1795.
Plot
In Provence at the time of the Crusades, the tyrant Coradin is guardian to three orphaned girls, among them Euphrosine. She hopes to reform him through marriage, but the jealous Countess of Arles goads Coradin into poisoning her; warned in time, Euphrosine fakes her death. Racked with guilt over what he believes he has done, Coradin attempts suicide, but is transformed when Euphrosine reappears and forgives him, and the two agree to marry.
Cultural significance
The success of the premiere, praised by fellow composers such as André Grétry, established Méhul's reputation as a leading opera composer of his generation; the revised version reached more than 150 performances during his lifetime.