More than a century after its creation in Monaco, Jules Massenet’s rarely performed opera Roma has returned to the stage with performances in the Principality and Paris…
The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (OPMC) presented the five-act work at the Auditorium Rainier III before taking it to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées this week, accompanied by the Radio France Choir and nine international soloists.
Massenet had close links with Monaco and Prince Albert I, and Roma was created in the Principality in 1912. The work subsequently disappeared from the repertoire, remaining largely forgotten until efforts began to bring it back to life.
Its revival was made possible through the work of Venice’s Palazzetto Bru Zane, Centre de musique romantique française, which researches and promotes neglected French Romantic music and has worked with the OPMC for six years on rediscovering operas associated with Monte-Carlo.
Among the soloists was Monaco-born tenor Jean-François Borras, who praised the concert format for allowing audiences to concentrate entirely on Massenet’s music.
No further performances are currently scheduled, but the revival will continue through a recording produced by Palazzetto Bru Zane, preserving the rediscovered opera for a new audience.
Image: Radio France Choir