Le déserteur

Le déserteur is an opéra comique by the French composer Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny with a libretto by Michel-Jean Sedaine. It was first performed on 6 March 1769 by the Comédie-Italienne at their public theatre, the Hôtel de Bourgogne in Paris.

Roles
Non-speaking roles include the jailer.

Synopsis
Alexis, a young soldier, is engaged to be married to Louise, a farmer's daughter. On the orders of her father, she plays a trick on him by pretending she is going to marry her cousin Bertrand instead. Alexis falls for the deception and deserts the army in despair. He is captured and thrown into jail to await execution. Louise goes to see the king to beg for mercy for Alexis. She receives a letter of reprieve but faints from exhaustion before she is able to deliver it. All ends happily, however, when the king arrives in person and frees Alexis.

Musical numbers

 * "Peut-on infliger ce qu'on aime?" - Louise
 * "J'avais égaré mon fuseau" - Jeannette
 * "Ah! je respire" - Alexis
 * "Serait il vrai, puis je l'entendre?" - Alexis, Jeannette
 * "Infidèle, que t'ai je dit" - Alexis, chorus
 * "Mourir n'est rien" - Alexis
 * "Je ne déserterai jamais" - Montauciel
 * "O ciel! puis je iei tevoir" - Alexis, Louise
 * "Dans quel trouble te plonge" - Louise
 * "O ciel! quoi tu vas mourir!" - Louise, Alexis, Jean-Louis
 * "Tous les hommés sont bons" - Bertrand
 * "Vive le vin, vive l'amour" - Mountaciel, Bertrand
 * "V... o... u... s..." - Mountaciel
 * "Le Rois passait, et le tambour" - Courchemin, Mountaciel
 * "On s'empresse, on me regarde" - Alexis
 * "Adieu chère Louise" - Alexis, Louise, Jean-Louis, Alexis's aunt, Jeannette, Bertrand, chorus

Recordings

 * 2010: Conductor Ryan Brown, Opera Lafayette Orchestra, William Sharp, Dominique Labelle, Ann Monoyios, David Newman, Eugene Galvin, Tony Boutté, Darren Perry, Claire Kuttler