Cinq-Mars at Theater an der Wien

Charles Gounod in 1852 created one of the now famous works of music history: Méditation sur le 1er prelude de Bach - better known as the Gounodsche Ave Maria. Hautsächlich composed of deeply religious Gounod masses, oratorios, cantatas and operas. His first stage success he could celebrate with his fourth opera, Faust, in 1859 - until today she is his best-known composition of this genre.
In his first two operas Sapho (1851) and Le médecin malgré lui (1858, The doctor reluctantly) showed Gounod his talent to create with and through imitation and combination of older styles, new. This technique, he also spent 1877 in the Drame lyrique Cinq-Mars. The opera is primarily of the love affair between Princess Marie de Gonzague and Marquis de Cinq-Mars; for her sake, but because they want to marry the King of Poland, Cinq-Mars joins the conspirators against Cardinal Richelieu. The plot is uncovered and Cinq-Mars imprisoned and sentenced to death. His confidant de Thou designs still a rescue plan for the day, but his execution is advanced, there is no salvation for so Cinq-Mars.