Le Philtre

opera by Auber

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July 1, 2026

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Le Philtre (The Love Potion) is a comic opera by French composer Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, first performed in 1831. It features spoken and sung passages, characteristic of comic opera. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe, a frequent collaborator with Auber.12

Le Philtre is notable for providing the dramatic foundation for Gaetano Donizetti's much more famous opera, L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love), which premiered just a year later. Auber's opera was part of the vibrant 19th-century French operatic scene, which included the development of grand opera and lighter comic works.123

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Daniel-François-Esprit Auber
…works of Giacomo Meyerbeer, Auber’s Le Philtre (1831) provided the dramatic basis for Gaetano Donizetti’s Elisir d’amore (1832; The Elixir of Love), and Auber’s Gustave III (1833) gave Giuseppe Verdi his story for Un ballo in maschera (1859; A Masked Ball).
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…works of Giacomo Meyerbeer, Auber’s Le Philtre (1831) provided the dramatic basis for Gaetano Donizetti’s Elisir d’amore (1832; The Elixir of Love), and Auber’s Gustave III (1833) gave Giuseppe Verdi his story for Un ballo in maschera (1859; A Masked Ball).
Read More