The source of inspiration for the French composer Massenet to write this opera was not the famous novel by Miguel de Cervantes but the play "The Knight of the Long Figure" by his contemporary French writer Jacques Le Lorrain. The libretto for the opera was written by Henri Caïn with whom Massenet had been collaborating since 1894. Massenet wrote the part of Don Quichotte especially for the Russian famous opera singer Feodor Chaliapin.
The opera was premiered on February 19, 1910, in Monte Carlo.
It consists of five acts.
This biblical expression is used when someone abandons something for the sake of profit and benefits. In Rebecca’s womb, her two sons were struggling with each other, were “colliding.” That struggle showed that the twins would become enemies in the future. According to the legend, a quarrel broke out between them over the birthright, starting from the womb of their mother. To obtain the right of getting the spiritual blessings of Abraham and Isaac, one needed to be the senior among brothers. “So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright.”
This is the whole picture of Esau’s life: to eat, drink, and leave without thinking where one goes, what one leaves behind and what one pays for material goods.
