Empires of the moon

1. 1Empires 1 - Terre-Lune
2. 2Empires 2 - Les Vers luisants
3. 3Empires 3 - Les Habits de Lune
4. 4Empires 4 - La Langue des initiés
5. 5Empires 5 - Chevalier de la Lune

a «cyranopéra» by Jean-Marie Lecoq (libretto)
and Louis Dunoyer de Segonzac (music)

Les Empires de la Lune (Empires of the moon) was premiered in 1993 in Amiens at the Comedie de Picardie, then went on tour in France and Switzerland before reopening in Paris at the Theatre Dejazet. It enjoyed a revival in 2006 with a new production at the Opera de Berne, followed by performances in  Basel, Winterthur and Vevey, then in the Paris region in the theaters of Meudon and Villejuif.
The libretto by Jean-Marie Lecoq is freely inspired by the actual life of the young Moliere, as well as certain episodes of L’Autre Monde (The Other World) by Cyrano de Bergerac, his contemporary.
Moliere, debt-ridden unknown actor, is hounded by his creditors. His candle supplier, Pommier, even threatens to have him thrown in jail. With the help of Cyrano and all the comedians of l’Illustre Theatre, Moliere leads Pommier onto an imaginary moon where money does not exist because people pay with poems…

Casting of the recording :
Anne Barbier, Madeleine Béjart
Floriane Rolland, La Folle Mathurine
Maxime Casa, Scaramouche
Jean-Marie Lecoq, Cyrano
Claude Legendre, Dassoucy
Bernard Valdeneige, Pommier
Vincent Vittoz, Molière

Nicolas Dessenne, piano
Louis Dunoyer, oboe & english horn
Patrick Couffignal, trumpet
Thierry Guilbert, trombone
Catherine Brisset, Baschet crystal

sound engineer : Michael Obst