Not much of the opera seen today was written prior to the eighteenth century. Gluck is one of the earliest pre-Mozart composers whose work endures. Quite a triumph when you consider how many other operas and composers have disappeared from the repertoire.
As J. Merrill Knapp observed, “Gluck’s works pointed to the future. They still represent a signficant landmark in the chronicle of opera.”
According to Bachtrack.com, there are 14 European performances of Gluck’s lesser-known one-act opera L’Ivrogne Corrigé (The Reformed Drunkard) through February 2012. The plot centers around a merchant who loves his drink and will not allow his niece to marry her sweetheart because he has promised her to a drinking buddy. The merchant learns his lesson when his family make him believe he has died during a bender and gone to the underworld.
Peabody Opera Workshop did L’Ivrogne Corrigé two years ago, but perhaps because of it being only one act and having a paper-thin plot, it’s not often performed in the U.S.
But the rare work intrigued me, so here is a video of one of arias from L’Ivrogne Corrigé sung by soprano Claudine Collart.
