Le roi de Lahore or “The king of Lahore” is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet. Massenet was one of the more finer composers of the late 1800s who was well known for his operas, orchestral work and piano pieces. The Le roi de Lahore was Massenet’s third extant opera and his first big break into Paris’ demanding opera scene back in 1877. Ever since its Parisian premiere, there were follow-up productions in many countries across Europe.
On March 1, Simon Bainbridge, a leading British composer and former head of composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London, along with the Chelsea Opera Group brought the Le roi de Lahore back on stage for the very first time ever since the last London performance in 1880.
This luscious drama deserves a mention for being able to portray the master of Massenet’s craft so exquisitely. Both the cast and the Chelsea Opera Group were able to aptly represent this grand French opera model with conviction. Michael Spyre played Alim while Anush Hovhannisyan’s spirited soprano gave Sita’s character just the right amount of striking brilliance. Under conductor Renato Balsadonna, the orchestra made notable contributions to the show.
Massenet’s piece is based on a story from the Mahabharata where Alim, the King of Lahore is found battling Scindia, his very own minister. Their dangerous battle is all for the love of Alim’s priestess Sita. In a final scene Alim dies but it later revived by God is a scene set in paradise.