L'enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Son) is a scène lyrique or cantata in one act by Claude Debussy with a text by Édouard Guinand.
[1] The cantata premiered in Paris on June 27, 1884[2] as part of the Prix de Rome for composition competition which was awarded to Debussy with this piece by 22 out of 28 votes.
[3] The prize win garnered Debussy a scholarship to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, which included a four-year residence at the Villa Medici, the French Academy in Rome, to further his studies (1885-1887).
The soloists at its first performance were Rose Caron (Lia), Ernest Van Dyck (Azaël), and Émile-Alexandre Taskin (Siméon).
[6] At sunrise Lia (soprano) laments the absence of Azaël (tenor), her prodigal son, an outcast after leaving his home to pursue the world's pleasures.