L'Opéra du pauvre

L'Opéra du pauvre comes from a "lyrical" ballet titled The Night, written in 1956 at the request of choreographer and dancer Roland Petit, within the Revue des Ballets de Paris. The piece was abandoned by Petit after a few performances (critics being severely negative). Ferré published the libretto the same year at La Table Ronde Editions. This work stayed on the shelf for twenty-six years.

It was after the triple LP Ludwig - L'Imaginaire - Le Bateau ivre was released in 1982, that Léo Ferré decided to dedicate his upcoming year to bring The Night back to life. As time had passed, Ferré had accumulated a lot of material, and he chose to enrich his original text and score with elements from various sources, thus creating a new Baroque work of much larger scope (it would take four LP to hold this whole new version).

Léo Ferré changes his voice and acts all parts.

• Narrator
• The Night, defendant
• The Raven, presiding judge
• The Cock, prosecutor
• The Owl, Night's attorney
• The Cat, court clerk
• The Nun, witness
• The Rose, witness
• Calva, night-club landlord and witness
• Miseria, witness
• The Glow-worm, witness
• The two Prostitutes, witnesses
• The Child, witness
• The Casino Player, witness
• The Candle, witness
• Death, witness
• The Blue Whale, witness
• The Poet, witness
• Hearing audience
• Saint Peter's voice & various voices

The Night is accused of having murdered Lady Shadow, who is missing. The opera depicts Night's trial by the "day people", allegorized by animals. The judge is a raven, the prosecutor is a cock, Night's attorney is an owl and the court clerk is a cat. Witnesses, all night owls for some reason of their own, are called to the bar and try to save the Night.

• Léo Ferré - voices, piano
• Giuseppe Magnani - violin solo
• Milan Symphonic Orchestra

• Arranger and orchestra conductor: Léo Ferré
• Engineer: Paolo Bocchi
• Producer: Léo Ferré

• Album presentation (French)