In 1860, a year after writing Faust with its cosmic scope and heavenly choirs and satanic demons, Charles Gounod and his librettists Jules Barbier and Michel Carrier wrote the comic opera one act, La Colombe (The Dove), which is about Horace’s pet dove and his pursuit of the Countess Sylvie.
A gifted dove belongs to Horace, who with his manservant and godson Mazet has abandoned Florentine life after failing to woo Countess Sylvie. But he is still hopeful and he invites her to dinner. Mazet desperately searches the garden for something suitable to cook for dinner. Since all of the chickens are eaten, Horace asks Mazet to serve the pet dove. After dinner Horace confesses to Sylvie that as a token of his love he has sacrificed his cherished pet dove. But it's a happy ending when Sylvie agrees to marry him only for Mazet to admit it was not the dove he served up but a neighbour’s parrot.
Soprano Erin Morley sings Sylvie, tenor Javier Camarena Horace, mezzo soprano Michelle Losier sings the trouser role of Mazet, and baritione Laurent Naouri sings Sylvie's major domo. Mark Elder conducts the Halle orchestra.
