After moving to Paris when still very young, Cesar Franck began to earn a living in various ways, working for some time as an accompanist to the Italian tenor Mario Bordogni. This undoubtedly allowed him to familiarize himself with the world of opera and all the problems related to the use of the voice. It is possible that Franck’s first opera, Stradella, was the result of these early experiences.

Stradella was probably composed between 1841 and 1842. The opera has come down to us virtually complete, as a piano score with some hints of orchestration. The autograph manuscript is currently kept at Paris’s Bibliothèque Nationale. Luc van Hove orchestrated it and Stradella was thus staged for the first time at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie on 19th September 2012.

Cast:
- Leonor: Isabelle Kabatu
- Stradella: Marc Laho
- Spadoni: Werner Van Mechelen
- Le Duc: Philippe Rouillon
- Pietro: Xavier Rouillon
- Michael: Giovanni iovino
- Beppo: Patrick Mignon
- Un Officier: Roger Joakim