Le Nid d'Amour

Le Nid d'Amour ("The love nest" or Het Liefdenest in its Dutch translation), is a theatrical work of uncertain origin, performed as a "new ballet and anacréontique[1]" in Cape Town in 1810, with music by a local composer.

The original text

A work entitled Le Nid d’Amours, ou Les Amours Vengés by composer Jacques-André Gaultier and choreographer Eugène Hus (Pierre-Louis Stapleton, 1758 –1823)[2] is listed as an opera in Opening Night! Opera & Oratorio Premieres (Stanford Universities Libraries)[3]. It was performed in Paris in 1798. It may have served as inspiration for the Cape Town production, particularly in the light of the later version of the work, now entitled Le Nid d’Amours, ou Les Amours Vengés which was performed as a "ballet anacréontique" by Eugène Hus at the Théâtre Royal, Bruxelles, 9 March 1818. Published in Brussels by L. Poublon, 1818.

In view of the latter title, another good candidate as source seems to be a one act ballet anacréontique-pantomime by M. Beaudry entitled L’Amour du Venge, which was performed at the Théâtre de Versailles, 21 June 1810, using music by famous composers of the time, and published by J-P Jacob, Versailles, 1810.

Translations and adaptations

Le Nid d'Amour, an opéra comique in one act by Jean Baptiste Edouard Montaubry opened in Paris in 1885.

South African performances

1810: Performed in Cape Town in Dutch (as Het Liefdenest) , with new music composed by L. Meurant, performed in Cape Town as an afterpiece to Le Somnambule ou Orgia (Pont-de-Vesle), by the pupils of J. Riaux on 13 October 1810.

1810: Repeated by the same company, but apparently in French as Le Nid d'Amour this time, on 27 October, as an afterpiece to Le Baiser (Florian).