About the work
Opéra-comique in two acts by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry to a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel, adapted from Voltaire's tale "L'Ingénu". It premiered on 20 August 1768 at the Comédie-Italienne in Paris — Grétry's first opera to reach the Paris stage.
Plot
A Huron man, abducted to North America as a child by the English, is brought to France as a prisoner of war. In Brittany he discovers his biological relatives, is baptised, and falls in love with a young Breton woman. Unlike Voltaire's story, this version ends with their wedding.
Cultural significance
The opera's immediate success established Grétry's reputation in Paris: the Comédie-Italienne gave 111 performances between 1770 and 1785. Its exotic subject of the "noble savage" matched contemporary taste and was staged in several European cities.