About the work
L’amant jaloux, ou Les fausses apparences is a comédie mêlée d’ariettes in three acts by André Grétry to a libretto by the Irish playwright Thomas Hales (known in France as Thomas d’Hèle), based on Susannah Centlivre’s comedy “The Wonder: A Woman Keeps a Secret” (1714). It premiered on 20 November 1778 at Versailles, followed by the Paris premiere on 23 December 1778 at the Opéra-Comique.
Plot
The jealous Don Alonze loves the widow Léonore but mistakes her veiled friend Isabelle for a secret rival. Meanwhile the French officer Florival falls for an unknown woman he has rescued and mistakes her for Léonore. Only when the mix-ups unravel in a night-time garden scene does Alonze recognise Isabelle as his own sister, freeing both couples to marry.
Cultural significance
The work failed at its dress rehearsal in Versailles but won over audiences within weeks, becoming one of Grétry’s most successful operas.