Original - Jules Massenet's Le Cid, Act 2, Scene 3, from L'Illustration's coverage of the opera's première. The climactic event of the early opera: Rodrigue's father has obliged his son to defend his honour, but Rodrigue only afterwards learns that the person he has to duel is his beloved Chimène's father, the Comte de Gormas. He is honour-bound to go through with it, and wins the duel, but Chimène now both loves and hates him, and this internal conflict powers the drama of the rest of the opera.
Reason
I love Le Cid. It's a fantastic opera, combining a strong plot with wonderful music.
So... when I saw a chance to get a copy of the 5 Décembre 1885 copy of L'Illustration - the edition that covered the première - I snapped it up. This is the second of four illustrations printed therein - expect the rest to follow. The 19th century had some spectacular set design, and this image shows it off wonderfully. The original scan contains two images, so, if you'll pardon me, I'll upload it with the second, as Commons has been a little awkward for me of late.
Support per nom. Suggest uploading a lower resolution courtesy copy for people who have slow connections. In some parts of the world it could take half an hour to see the current version. Quite good, though. DurovaCharge!17:07, 11 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Support - a.) we need more operatic featured pictures, so I approve; b.) this is of fine quality; and c.) I'm a sucker for Massenet generally, and Le Cid especially (not to brag, but I saw Domingo in the part in Washington some years back, and it remains one of the highlights of my local opera-going experience). Glad to see there are other Massenet fans out there. --User:AlbertHerringIo son l'orecchio e tu la bocca: parla!18:09, 11 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]
