Les Abencerages premiered at the Grand Opera in Paris on April 16, 1813, and was one of Cherubini's final operas. Although Ali Baba came afterwards, from 1813 onwards, Cherubini devoted himself to other genres of composition.The story was taken from Gonzalve de Courdove by Florian, and turned into a libretto by Jouy. All librettos were reviewed by the Censorship Commission before they were allowed to be turned into operas to make sure that they conformed to and even promoted governmental policies. But this libretto of Jouy's passed the commission, and the opera was approved. Both Napoleon and the Empress of France were present at the premiere, and the work was almost universally hailed as a masterpiece. Critics pronounced it finer than Cherubini's masterpiece Médée. The overture is one of Cherubini's finest, and contains some beautiful melodies and chromatic passages. The characters include a variety of Moorish and Spanish royalty and military personnel. These gave the composer the opportunity for that mainstay of romantic opera, exoticism. In addition to the two ballets in the first act, there is a lengthy ballet after the third act which features Spanish and Moorish elements. One of the most famous scenes in the dramatic scena for General Almanzor "Suspendez a ces murs mes armes, ma banniere," which has been given in concert form. And one of the finest airs in the opera is the piece "Enfin j'ai vu naitre l'aurore." Mendelssohn pronounced the music of this opera as being filled with "sparkling fire," and being "free, bold, and spirited." The opera ran for twenty performances during its first run. The run was interrupted by the news of the French military disaster in Russia, as French forces retreated through Moscow's winter snows, and thousands died of the cold. Cherubini was immediately enlisted to compose military music to rouse the spirits of the nation.

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