William the Conqueror

Lyrical episode by composer Emile Bernard

Composed around 1890 to a libretto by Henri Brière, Guillaume le Conquérant is a lyrical epic in two parts for solo baritone and tenor, mixed choir, piano, and organ. With a duration of 70 minutes, the work illustrates the taste of the late 19th century for grand historical and heroic narratives.

Trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, composer Émile Bernard (1843-1902), organist, and educator, is a figure of French Romanticism. Winner of the Chartier Prize from the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1889, he left a plentiful oeuvre that is now being rediscovered.
The opera features Guillaume, Duke of Normandy (baritone), and Taillefer, knight (tenor), surrounded by a mixed choir of about thirty singers representing soldiers, knights, and the people. Its preparation is the subject of a week-long residency at the Benedictine abbey of Bec-Hellouin, organized for the fifth consecutive year under the musical direction of Daniel Gálvez-Vallejo.

The first part, Claiming the crown of England, takes place at the castle of Lillebonne. Guillaume gathers his barons there and declares his intention to conquer the English throne, which he believes rightfully belongs to him after the death of Edward the Confessor and the coronation of Harold Godwinson.
The second part, Saint-Valéry, follows the waiting of the Norman troops on the coast before crossing the English Channel. Amidst songs, dances, and prayers, doubt gradually gives way to the hope of an imminent conquest.

The libretto presents an idealized vision of Guillaume, elevated to the status of a heroic, almost providential figure. Marked by religious influence and historical ties to the abbey of Bec-Hellouin and Lanfranc of Bec, the work favors a spiritual reading of the character, without depicting the violence of war.

Created in the context of post-1870, it participates in the movement to valorize great figures of national history and to construct a heroic narrative around Guillaume le Conquérant, a symbol of Norman and French influence in Europe.

Musical direction, Daniel Gálvez-Vallejo
Lyrical epic in two parts for solo Baritone and Tenor, choir, piano, and organ
2 soloists & 30 choristers
Preparation of the work in the form of a week-long workshop in residence with the Benedictine sisters of Bec-Hellouin (for the 5th consecutive year)


Practical information:
All audiences
Duration 70 min
Admission: €15
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