Padmâvatî

Albert Roussel composed his opera-ballet “Padmâvatî” between the end of 1913 and 1918. It was commissioned by Jacques Rouché, the then director of the Paris Opera, and inspired by a journey to India which the composer undertook in 1909. The libretto is by Louis Laloy and based on Théodore-Marie Pavie’s “La légende de Padmanî, reine de Tchitor”, which retells a legend narrated in Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s epic poem “Padmavat” (1540). Musical characteristics of the work are its use of Indian scales, tunes which are rich in melisma, pungent rhythms, a colourful orchestration of great transparency and luminosity, wordless choruses and, due to the work’s conception as an opera-ballet, extensive orchestral passages which offer a lot of opportunity for dance choreography.
This edition of the libretto juxtaposes the French original and a new English translation.