With “L’Étoile”, Chabrier composed a light-hearted opera which has increasingly enjoyed revivals in recent years.

The plot is introduced by King Ouf I who offers his subjects an execution every year on his birthday. Unfortunately the problem now arises that no crime has recently been committed which might serve as a reason for an execution. Finally, he finds a would-be victim in the young Lazuli. However, according to predictions by the astrologer Siroco, Lazuli’s fate is closely linked to th...