About the work
Jean de Paris is a two-act opéra comique by François-Adrien Boieldieu, with a libretto by Claude Godard d'Aucourt de Saint-Just. It opened at the Paris Opéra-Comique (Salle Feydeau) on 4 April 1812, shortly after Boieldieu's return to Paris following roughly eight years at the tsarist court in Saint Petersburg.
Plot
The heir to the French throne travels incognito as a commoner calling himself Jean de Paris to test the faithfulness of his betrothed, the Princess of Navarre, before their wedding. The princess sees through the disguise but agrees to dine with the supposed stranger. As mutual affection grows, she draws out his confession, and the opera ends with their wedding celebration.
Cultural significance
Alongside Le calife de Bagdad, Jean de Paris became Boieldieu's most successful work before La Dame blanche and stayed in the Opéra-Comique repertoire until 1863. Hector Berlioz later praised the score's taste and melodic invention, and Robert Schumann called its orchestration masterly.