About the work
"Yolande" is a one-act drama in music (seven scenes with a prologue) by Albéric Magnard to his own libretto. Magnard wrote the text in 1888-89 and composed the music between 1890 and 1891; it premiered on 27 December 1892 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels under Philippe Flon. It was Magnard's first completed opera, published as his Opus 5.
Plot
Yolande waits in despair for the return of her husband, Count Robert le Hardi, from a long crusade. When he finally comes home, she dies of joy in his arms. The grief-stricken Robert considers following her in death, until Yolande's transfigured spirit appears and asks him to stay faithful so they may be reunited in eternal life.
Cultural significance
The work was withdrawn after only two performances and left no lasting impact; its orchestral material was lost, and only the piano-vocal score published by Choudens in 1892 survives. As Magnard's first completed opera, it nonetheless marks the starting point for his later principal work, "Guercœur".