ROOM 2 – THE FRENCH PERIOD

La Vestale, written in 1805, was performed in Paris for the first time on 15 December 1807 at the Théâtre de l’Académie Impériale de Musique in the presence of Empress Josephine. Giulia, the Vestal Virgin, was played by the great singer Caroline Branchu, alongside Etienne Lainez in the role of Licinius. Enriched by an exceptional dance corps and classical scenery in which Napoleon and the imperial court were perfectly recognisable, this neoclassical tragédie lyrique was a resounding success. It was performed 200 times and in 1810 received the award for best opera of the previous decade.

Napoleon’s divorce from Josephine distanced Spontini from his patroness but not from the Emperor, who always maintained his support for him. In 1809, at Napoleon’s suggestion, he was commissioned to write a historical-celebratory opera, Fernand Cortez. In perfect harmony with imperial policy it was a work intended to highlight the contrast between the liberal and humanitarian sentiments of Cortez and the religious fanaticism of the Mexicans, establishing an idealised relationship and an historical comparison between the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the Napoleonic occupation of Spain. The opera was staged on 28 November 1809: rich and sumptuous in its costumes, sets and staging, it marked the triumph of Gaspare Spontini in France and definitively paved the way for the transition from Baroque opera with mythological subjects to the grand opera of the Romantic period.