Composer

:

Francis Poulenc

Genre

:

Opera

Style

:

Opera

Compose Date

:

1939 - 1944

First Performance

:

Jun 3, 1947

Average_duration

:

55:43

Movement_count

:

18

Movement ....

Les mamelles de Tirésias is an opera composed by Francis Poulenc in 1945. The libretto was written by Guillaume Apollinaire and is based on his play of the same name. The opera premiered on June 3, 1947, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. The plot of the opera is a surreal and absurdist satire of gender roles and societal norms. The story takes place in the fictional town of Zanzibar, where the women have stopped giving birth and the men are left to do all the domestic work. Thérèse, the wife of the timid and henpecked husband, Tiresias, decides to become a man and take on the role of a warrior. She changes her name to Tirésias and sets out to conquer the world, leaving her husband to take care of the household chores. Meanwhile, the breasts of Tirésias have become detached and have taken on a life of their own, multiplying and causing chaos throughout the town. The townspeople, led by the mayor, decide to use the breasts as a weapon of war and launch them at their enemies. The opera is divided into two acts, with a prologue and an epilogue. The music is characterized by Poulenc's signature blend of neoclassical and modernist styles, with elements of jazz and popular music. The vocal writing is highly virtuosic, with rapid-fire recitative and arias that require a wide range and flexibility. The premiere of Les mamelles de Tirésias was a critical and commercial success, cementing Poulenc's reputation as one of the leading composers of his generation. The opera has since become a staple of the modern repertoire, known for its irreverent humor and biting social commentary.

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