One of the few operas by a woman produced at the Paris Opera in the 19th century. Augusta Holmès' La Montagne noire finally gets its UK premiere

Augusta Holmès' La Montagne noire at Theater Dortmund in 2024

Whilst best known for her orchestral symphonic poems, the French composer (of Irish descent) Augusta Holmès wrote four operas in total, though only one was performed. This was La Montagne noire which was staged at the Paris Opera in 1895, one of the few operas written by a woman to be produced there during the nineteenth century. A four act lyric drama, Holmès wrote the libretto herself. She wrote the opera in 1884-1885, when she was living with the poet Catulle Mendès who wrote librettos for Chabrier, Messager, Hahn and Massenet.

She first heard Wagner's work at the age of 13 and was influenced by Wagner throughout her life. La Montagne noire was poorly received, partly because Holmès' Wagnerian inspiration was viewed as old-fashioned. However, the gender rhetoric of the nineteenth century came into play too. When reviewing her symphonic poem, Les Argonautes, Saint-Saëns remarked on her "excessive virility – a frequent fault with women composers – and flamboyant orchestration in which the brass explodes like fireworks..." When considering the opera, critics criticised her for crossing the boundary into styles which were thought of as masculine territory. The critic Arthur Pougin said that the best pages of the opera were the passages of "gentleness, grace and tenderness", going on to comment that the noisier passages were banal!

The opera received a rare modern revival in 2024 at Theater Dortmund in a production that was nominated for the Best Rediscovered Work by the International Opera Awards. 

Now UK audiences are getting a chance to hear the opera for themselves. That enterprising group the Opera Makers, who performed Ethel Smyth's Der Wald in 2023 [see my review] is giving the UK premiere of La Montagne noire at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge on 8 March 2026. Panaretos Kyriatzidis conducts with Francesca Lauri at the piano and a cast including Matthew Curtis, Felicity Buckland, James Newby, Becca Marriott, Masimba Ushe and Lauren Easton.

For this concert the company has curated a cast that includes three female leads whose careers have all been deeply affected by their choice to become mothers. The decision to start a family remains an impediment to the careers of many singers, particularly those with larger voices whose instruments blossom at precisely the time when it is most likely they will be starting their families.  There is also a diverse chorus of students and volunteers, supported by Trinity Laban. 

Full details from the company's website.