Le devin du village - concertante opera

On 28 June 2012 it will be exactly 300 years since the great Swiss-French thinker, writer, philosopher and composer Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born. And, as Maarten Doorman posits in his book Rousseau en IK (2012), ‘we have been in the grip of a longing for authenticity’ ever since. In his opera ‘Le devin du village’ (‘the village idiot’), about the true love between the ardent Colin and Colette, we find Rousseau the composer attempting to fathom the authenticity of love through music. In both its substance and intent, this work is simply made for the Grachtenfestival's theme of Love - and for the concert hall at De Nieuwe Liefde. This short comic opera tells an entertaining tale of jealousy, love and deception in a small village. Colin and Colette are passionately in love, but each suspects the other of being unfaithful, and both turn to the 'wise' devin du village for advice. Light-hearted and ludicrous plots twists and exciting intrigues are finally resolved with 'all's well that ends well' and the marriage of Colin and Colette as love conquers all!