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Philidor's bust on the façade of the Opera Garnier in Paris
Tom Jones is a comédie mêlée d'ariettes, a kind of opéra comique, by the French composer François-André Danican Philidor which first appeared at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris, on 27 February 1765. Its French libretto, by Antoine-Alexandre-Henri Poisenet and Bertin Davesne, is loosely based on the 1749 novel by Henry Fielding.
The opera was initially a failure but Philidor had the libretto revised by Michel-Jean Sedaine and this new version, first performed on 30 January 1766, proved one of the most popular opéras comiques of the late 18th century. It was produced in a number of other countries, and translated into German, Swedish and Russian.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 27 February 1765 (Conductor: ) |
|---|---|---|
| Monsieur Western | bass | Joseph Caillot |
| Madame Western, his sister | mezzo-soprano | Bérard |
| Sophie, his daughter | soprano | Desglands |
| Honora, her companion | soprano | Marie-Thérèse Laruette-Villette |
| Allworthy, their neighbour | baritone | Antoine Trial |
| Tom Jones, his ward | tenor | Clairval (Jean-Baptiste Guignard) |
| Blifil, Allworthy's nephew | tenor | Jean-Louis Laruette |
| Quaker Dowling | spoken |
Recordings
François-André Danican Philidor: Tom Jones, Lausanne Opera and Le Sinfonietta de Lausanne
- Conductor: Jean-Claude Malgoire
- Principal singers: Sébastien Droy, Sophie Marin-Degor, Marc Barrard, Sibyl Zanganelli, Carine Séchehaye, Rodolphe Briand, Léonard Pezzino & Guillaume Michel
- Recording date: staged in 2005; recorded on 17, 18 and 20 janvier, 2006
- Label: Dynamic 33509 (DVD), CDS509 (CD)
Sources
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Tom Jones". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- Rushton, Julian (1992), "Tom Jones (i)" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- The Viking Opera Guide, ed. Amanda Holden (1993)