Login      
Nicolas-François Guillard
Librettist

Biography

Nicolas-François Guillard (16 January 1752 – 26 December 1814) was a French librettist. He was born in Chartres and died in Paris, the recipient of a government pension in recognition of his work writing librettos. He was also on Comité de Lecture of the Paris Opéra. One of the foremost of the French librettist of his generation, he wrote libretti for many noted composers of the day, including Salieri (Les Horaces) and in particular Sacchini (Œdipe à Colone, amongst many others). His most famous work is Iphigénie en Tauride, his first libretto, set by Gluck after the composer had initially rejected it. Gluck collaborated with Guillard to heavily recast the libretto, not only to suit Gluck's artistic preferences, but also to accommodate pre-existing music that Gluck borrowed, both from himself and from other composers, when composing the opera.

Guillard's librettos were often adaptations of previously written works, rather than the products of original invention. He used a wide range of subjects as a starting point, basing his libretto for Sacchini's final opera, Arvire et Évélina, on an English dramatic poem and also using the works of Pierre Corneille on two occasions. In the 1790s he altered his style to fit the revolutionary atmosphere of the time, one of his last works being the epic La mort d'Adam, where he turned to biblical themes.


Productions
Click company name to view productions details.
COMPANYTITLEDATES
Pittsburgh OperaIphigénie en Tauride1/20/2024 - 1/28/2024
Boston BaroqueIphigenie en Tauride4/20/2023 - 4/23/2023
Canadian Opera CompanyIphigenie en Tauride9/9/2011 - 10/14/2011
Washington National OperaIphigenie en Tauride5/5/2011 - 5/29/2011
Metropolitan OperaIphigénie en Tauride2/2/2011 - 3/5/2011
Opera AtelierIphigénie en Tauride10/10/2009 - 11/11/2009
Metropolitan OperaIphigénie en Tauride11/11/2007 - 12/21/2007
Seattle OperaIphigenia in Taurus10/10/2007 - 10/26/2007
San Francisco OperaIphigénie en Tauride6/6/2007 - 6/29/2007
Juilliard SchoolIphigénie en Aulide2/2/2007 - 2/24/2007
Lyric Opera of ChicagoIphigénie en Tauride9/9/2006 - 10/26/2006
Opera AtelierIphigénie en Tauride10/10/2003 - 11/11/2003
San Francisco OperaIphigénie en Tauride4/1/1998 - 4/30/1998
Opera AustraliaIphigénie en Tauride3/1/1998 - 4/1/1998
New York City OperaIphigénie en Tauride10/9/1997 - 10/23/1997
Opera AustraliaIphigénie en Tauride8/1/1997 - 9/1/1997
Glimmerglass FestivalIphigénie en Tauride7/7/1997 - 7/31/1997
Opera Theatre of Saint LouisIphigenia in Taurus6/1/1994 - 6/25/1994
Manhattan School of MusicIphigénie en Tauride4/1/1993 - 4/25/1993


Artist Information

All information is derived from OPERA America's Season Schedule of Performances and titles databases which date back to 1991. OPERA America is constantly updating this data. If you feel that a work or an artist has been omitted or that information is incorrect, please use the linked forms below.
Title Information Form
Artist Information Form


 
STORED ADMIN COOKIE *
actor id: 0
name:
company:
email
ind id: 0
memb level: 0
expiration date: 12:00:00 AM
current url: /applications/nawd/people.aspx
Login As
* Visible only to OPERA America Administrators for testing purposes. Shows security cookie contents.
 
 
————
National Opera Center
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001
212.796.8620   •   Info@operamerica.com
CONNECT WITH US
                 

PARTNERS
 
Terms of Service   •   Privacy Policy   •   Copyright Policy   © Copyright 1995–2025 OPERA America Inc.