The score of Le Cheval de bronze is considered one of Auber's best achievements, featuring inventive music, perfect capture of fantasy and comedy, and thematic integration that sometimes achieves a genuine Leitmotif.
Recording & Production
This recording of Le Cheval de bronze is a historical recording from 1953, sung in German, and was made by the Österreichischer Rundfunk (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation).
Composer's Artistic Vision
Auber's balanced temperament and Parisian elegance were reflected in his musical attitudes and style, making him one of the most amiable French composers of the 19th century.
Composition History
A major turning point in Auber's life was his collaboration with librettist Eugène Scribe, with whom he had a long and successful partnership until Scribe's death.
Composer Biography
Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, a French composer, initially pursued a career in commerce despite his musical talent, before studying under Cherubini.
Composition History
Auber's opera Le Cheval de bronze is an opéra-féerique (fairy opera) in three acts, based on 'Les Sept Fils du Calender' from The Arabian Nights.
Critical Reception
Le Cheval de bronze was performed 84 times in its first year and staged internationally, but later fell into undeserved obscurity until Engelbert Humperdinck revived it in 1889.
