Le Tribut de Zamora: an opera for the eyes

If we detach ourselves for a moment from the score of Le Tribut de Zamora to look at the spectacle as it was staged in concrete terms at the time of Gounod, we shall find we are likely to run into more than a few surprises: did the music critics of the time not debate the shape of Berber helmets, the riding skills of the baritone Lassalle or the correct way to hold a procession of a hundred virgins? Because it is no longer familiar to us, this bygone theatrical era requires, to be understood today, a substantial effort of historical imagination. Let us venture to provide some guidance.