About the work
Opéra lyrique in three acts by Luigi Cherubini, with a libretto by Étienne de Jouy based on Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian's novel "Gonzalve de Cordoue" (1791). It premiered on 6 April 1813 at the Salle Montansier of the Paris Opéra, with Napoleon and his wife Marie-Louise in attendance and Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis conducting. The work marked Cherubini's return to the Paris Opéra after a ten-year gap in stage composition.
Plot
In Moorish Granada in the fifteenth century, the victorious general Almanzor is slandered by the rival Zégris clan, who steal Granada's sacred standard and pin the blame on him. The Castilian knight Gonzalve exposes the conspiracy in single combat, clearing Almanzor's name and allowing him to marry his betrothed, Noraïme.
Cultural significance
The premiere was only a modest success, running for about twenty performances, and the work fell into obscurity after the fall of the Empire. With its extensive choral and ballet forces and its close interweaving of a love story with historical events, "Les Abencérages" is considered an early forerunner of French grand opéra. A 1957 production at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under Carlo Maria Giulini first drew renewed attention to the work.