The Desert Flower is an opera in three acts composed by William Vincent Wallace. The libretto was an English translation and adaptation by A. Harris and Thomas J. Williams of the libretto by Henri Saint-Georges and Adolphe de Leuven for Halévy's Jaguarita l'Indienne. The Desert Flower premiered on 12 October 1863 in London at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in a performance by the Pyne and Harrison English Opera Company with Louisa Pyne in the title role.
Willoughby Weiss photographed in 1863 as Casgan in The Desert Flower
William Vincent Wallace was an Irish composer and pianist. In his day, he was famous on three continents as a double virtuoso on violin and piano. Nowadays, he is mainly remembered as an opera composer of note, with key works such as Maritana (1845) and Lurline (1847/60), but he also wrote a large amount of piano music that was much in vogue in the 19th century. His more modest output of songs and ballads, equally wide-ranging in style and difficulty, was also popular in his day, some numbers being associated with famous singers of the time.
William Vincent Wallace. Portrait by Mathew Brady, New York City, undated (Library of Congress)
Blue plaque in Waterford
A bust of Wallace by Seamus Murphy can be seen outside Waterford's Theatre Royal
Wallace's grave at Kensal Green Cemetery, London, in 2014; visible behind it is Balfe's grave
