Raymond, ou Le Secret de la reine, is an opéra comique composed by Ambroise Thomas on a libretto by Joseph-Bernard Rosier and Adolphe de Leuven,[1] premiered on 5 June 1851 at the Théâtre des Nouveaux.
The overture remains popular as light music and transcribed for wind bands.
Raymond, a young peasant in love with an orphan (Stelle), is recognized as the twin brother of Louis XIV and persecuted so as not to hinder his reign.
[2] At the end of the three acts, the hero and his beloved manage to flee thanks to the sacrifice of the Chevalier de Rosargues: brutal soldier, father of Stelle whose mother he raped and killed.
[2] If the work seems to have had a certain public success, it is difficult to assess today as the press of the time shows hostility to Raymond, considered unworthy of an academician.