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Mârouf, savetier du Caire (Marouf, Cobbler of Cairo) is an opéra comique in five acts by the French composer Henri Rabaud. The libretto, by Lucien Nepoty, is based on a tale from the Arabian Nights. Mârouf was first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris, on 15 May 1914.[1] The premiere was a great success and Mârouf became Rabaud's most popular opera. The score makes great use of oriental colour.
The Western Hemisphere premiere of Mârouf was given at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires on 24 July 1917, with Armand Crabbé as Mârouf, Ninon Vallin as Saamcheddine, and Marcel Journet as the Sultan, conducted by Gino Marinuzzi.[2] The United States premiere was given at the Metropolitan Opera on 19 December 1917, with Giuseppe De Luca in the title role, Frances Alda as Princess Saamcheddine, and Pierre Monteux conducting; as there is no big aria for the soprano lead, Alda (wife of the Met's director Giulio Gatti-Casazza), protested, but with Monteux's help Rabaud was persuaded to develop a melodic fragment into an aria for her, "averting further strife" with the singer.[3] The Viennese premiere was at the Vienna State Opera on 24 January 1929, with Josef Kalenberg and Margit Angerer ("who received the most applause"[4]) and Franz Schalk conducting.[5]
The Opéra-Comique presented a new production in 2013 by Jérôme Deschamps, with Jean-Sébastien Bou in the title role, conducted by Alain Altinoglu.[6] That production was revived there in 2018.[7]
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| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 15 May 1914 Conductor: François Ruhlmann |
|---|---|---|
| Mârouf | baritone | Jean Périer |
| Fattoumah, his wife | soprano | Jeanne Tiphaine |
| The Sultan of Khaïtân | bass | Félix Vieuille |
| Princess Saamcheddine, his daughter | soprano | Marthe Davelli |
| His vizier | bass | Jean Delvoye |
| Ali | bass | Daniel Vigneau |
| Fellah/Genie | tenor | Georges-Louis Mesmaecker |
| First merchant | tenor | Maurice Cazeneuve |
| Second merchant | tenor | Éric Audoin |
| First policeman | tenor | Pierre Delager |
| Second policeman | baritone | Corbière |
| Chief sailor/First muezzin | tenor | Eugène de Creus |
| Second muezzin | bass | Thibault |
| Donkey-driver | tenor | Donval |
| First mamluk | baritone | Jean Reymond |
| Second mamluk | bass | Brun |
| Pâtissier/Ahmed | bass | Louis Azéma |
| Kadı | bass | Paul Payen |
| ballerinas | silent | Sonia Pavloff, Germaine Dugué, Gina Luparia, Sallandri |
| ballerino | silent | Robert Quinault |
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The henpecked cobbler Mârouf decides to join a group of sailors and travels to Khaïtân where he pretends to be a rich merchant awaiting the arrival of his caravan. The sultan is impressed and offers him the hand of his daughter Saamcheddine. Mârouf's deception is discovered and he flees, followed by the princess, who has fallen in love with him. They find a mysterious ring which gives Mârouf power over a magician. The magician grants Mârouf's wish for the caravan he boasted about to become reality. The sultan is appeased, pardons Mârouf and allows him to marry Saamcheddine.
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