L’Enfant prodigue

L’Enfant prodigue was described by its creators as a pantomime ballet in three acts with music composed and arranged by Henri-Montan Berton, professor of harmony at the recently founded Conservatoire and singing director at the Imperial Academy of Music. Its libretto and choreography were provided by Pierre-Gabriel Gardel, and it had its world premiere at the Opéra on 28 April 1812. The ballet opens in the biblical region of Gessen, and the scenery features a mountain and the edge of a desert…