Analyze That: LE CID by Jules Massenet

 

I saw LE CID in Opernhaus Zurich this year (2008-02-03) 

Only the tenor's aria: O souverain, O juge, O pere; and the soprano's, Chimene's aria: Pleurez mes yeux; is reallyy known.

Music aside, read in Wikipedia: LE CID (opera) 

Wikipedia says: Le Cid is a tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille and published in 1636. It is based on the legend of El Cid.

On EL CID (also Wikipedia)

Rodrigo (or Ruy) Díaz de Vivar (c. 1040, Vivar, near Burgos – July 10, 1099, Valencia), known as El Cid Campeador, was a Castilian nobleman, a gifted military leader and diplomat who, after being exiled, conquered and governed the city of Valencia. Rodrigo Díaz II was educated in the royal court of Castile and became the alférez, or chief general, of Alfonso VI, and his most valuable asset in the fight against the Moors.
The nickname "El Cid" comes from the Spanish article "El", which means "The" and the dialectal Arab word سيد "sïdi" or sayyid, which means "Lord". So "El Cid" could be translated as "The Lord". The title "Campeador" is a vulgar Latin word that could be translated as "master of military arts". He is considered the national hero of Spain.

--- Maybe I will analyze LE CID myself, really, one time later and not just rip of from Wikipedia.---

Or maybe I have some readers that will do me the honor of commenting their analysis...

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com