The Lady of Lyons by Edward Bulwer Lytton was a play which enjoyed continuous success throughout the nineteenth century. It contained dramatically viable parts for both male and female leading performers in the roles of Claude and Pauline. For an ambitious young composer in his early twenties it must have seemed an excellent idea to choose a subject already familiar to his potential audience. But even its opening performance, at London's Lyceum, attracted immediate comparison with the original drama, which was frequently staged in the same venue. The opera's music relied on the popular ballad style reminiscent of Balfe and Wallace, which must have seemed slightly old-fashioned. While the Carl Rosa company took the work on its national tour, and cast it from strength with several of the company's leading soloists, it was not to become a success - nor were any of Cowen's subsequent three operas.
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