User:Theshoveljockey/Ascanio

Ascanio is a five-act opera by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Louis Gallet based on the play Benvenuto Cellini by French playwright Paul Meurice. The play was based on the historical novel of Alexandre Dumas, père. The name was changed to Ascanio to avoid confusion with the Berlioz opera Benvenuto Cellini. The opera premiered on March 21 1890 in Paris.

The opera was not successfull and did not see a revival until 1921, the year of Saint-Saëns’ death.

Ascanio a grand opera set in Paris in 1539. It concerns the historical figure of Benvenuto Cellini during the time he spent at the court of François I in Fontainebleau and Paris. This is accordance with Saint-Saëns’ wish to base an opera on an episode in French history.