About the work
Mélidore et Phrosine is a drame lyrique (opéra comique) in three acts by Étienne-Nicolas Méhul, with a libretto by Antoine-Vincent Arnault loosely based on the ancient story of Hero and Leander. It premiered on 6 May 1794 at the Théâtre Favart in Paris.
Plot
Mélidore loves Phrosine, but her brothers Aimar and Jule block the match — Aimar out of snobbery, Jule out of a secret, incestuous desire for his own sister. Fleeing together, Mélidore apparently wounds Aimar fatally; when Phrosine tries to swim by night to Mélidore, disguised as a hermit, she follows the wrong light on her brother's boat and drowns, only to be kissed back to life by her lover.
Cultural significance
The work is considered an early example of Romantic opera in France and met a divided reception at its premiere, praised by some critics as a masterpiece and received more coolly by others.