Composer of the Week - Opera-Comique - Episode 1

Opéra-Comique can be a kind of opera, an institution or a building. All three have strong links with each other and specific characteristics which were quite different to the other types of opera on offer. Donald Macleod and his guest Karen Henson, an Assistant Professor at Columbia University with a special interest in French opera unravel the intricacies of nineteenth century Parisian operatic life. 0ver the course of five programmes they'll be looking at some of the big names of the 19th century including Bizet, Massenet, and Boieldieu, who penned the runaway hit La dame blanche. Boieldieu's own life story could make him a character in one of his own opéra-comiques. The series draws to a close in classic opéra-comique territory with the tragic finale of Auber's version of Manon.