L’isle déserte is a 1779 opera comique by Franz Ignaz Beck to a libretto by the Comte d'Ossun after Metastasio's libretto l'isola disabitata of 1754, coincidentally reset in Italian by Haydn in the same year in the same year as Beck.[1] The libretto had been translated into French already in 1759.[2] Haydn also composed an entirely different singspiel version Die wüste Insel. The work was never performed during Beck's lifetime,[3] and recorded for the first time only in 2021 with La Stagione Frankfurt.

Plot

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For people, Constanze, Droval, Laurette, and Sainville, find themselves stranded on an island. Constanze thinks that Dorval left her and her sister, Laurette, there because of someone else's intentions. Laurette, due to her young age, becomes greatly confused why Constanze doesn't have fond feelings for men. When a ship lands on the island, all is made well and a happy reunion is soon had.[4]

Recording

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  • L'Isle deserte (spoken dialogue omitted) Ana Maria Labin, Samantha Gaul, Theodore Browne, Fabian Kelly, La Stagione Frankfurt, Michael Schneider 1CD 2021[5]

References

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  1. ^ Le Musée de Bordeaux et la musique 1783-1793 Patrick Taïeb, Natalie Morel-Borotra, Jean Gribenski · 2005 p 144 "... la plupart des œuvres composées par Beck à Bordeaux sont perdues . C'est le cas de ses quelque quinze œuvres pour la scène , dont seul subsiste en entier un opéra - comique , L'Isle déserte ( 1779 )"
  2. ^ L'” Isle Déserte: Comedie En Un Acte Et En Vers Jean-Baptiste Collet de Messine · 1759 "Le sujet de cette Comédie , ejt E tiré des ouvres de Monsieur l'Abbé Metastasio : Se n'est autre chose que l'Isola disabitata , de ce celebre Auteur . Celui qui l'a donné fur la Scéne françoise a plutot imité que traduit ..."
  3. ^ "CD Spotlight. A Universal Happy Ending. Gerald Fenech reviews a new recording of Franz Ignaz Beck's opera 'L'isle déserte'". www.classicalmusicdaily.com. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  4. ^ "BECK: ISLE DÉSERTE, L'". musicalifeiten.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  5. ^ Olivier Rouvière