大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the maestro of the Cancan and much more besides, Jacques Offenbach. Today, on the brink of defeat he launches his own theatre company.

In May 1854, Offenbach wrote despairingly to his sister Ranetta; the 鈥済olden future鈥� he had dreamt of hadn鈥檛 materialised, and come September he鈥檇 be off to America, without his family, to seek his fortune there. Offenbach did indeed make the hazardous journey across the Atlantic, but that wouldn鈥檛 be for another 20 years or so. For now, he decided to stay put and tough it out in his adopted home city of Paris, where his father had deposited him, with his elder brother Julius, 20 years earlier, in the hope that there they would receive a better musical education than was on offer in their native Cologne. It was a good decision; eight months after he wrote that letter to his sister, Offenbach put in an application to the Minister of State for the Fine Arts to open his own theatre, for the presentation of musical shows; the entertainment was to be known as 鈥楲es Bouffes-Parisiens鈥�. The venue was a tiny wooden shack on the Champs-Elys茅es that had recently been vacated by its previous owner, a magician called Lacaze. With the backing of a wealthy newspaper-owning friend 鈥� the founder of Le Figaro, no less 鈥� Offenbach had the 鈥楽alle Lacaze鈥�, which became known as 鈥榯he ladder鈥�, on account of the steep rake of the seats, refurbished and open for business again in July 1855. This was just in time to capitalise on its fortunate proximity to the site of the Exposition Universelle, modelled on 鈥� and intended to surpass 鈥� the Great Exhibition which had been held in London four years earlier. The Bouffes was an instant and enduring success; over the next quarter-century, more than 50 of Offenbach鈥檚 musical comedies were to d茅but there, including the opening-night smash Les deux aveugles, a one-acter about a couple of con-men vying for the best spot on a bridge over the Seine, and Orph茅e aux enfers, Orpheus in the Underworld, a runaway success in 1858, whose 鈥減rofanation of holy and glorious antiquity鈥� was held by one critic at the time to herald the end of civilisation as it was then known.

Orph茅e aux enfers (Act 2 tableau 4, 鈥楥e bal est original鈥�)
Jean-Paul Fouch茅court, tenor (Pluton)
Laurent Naouri, bass baritone (Jupiter)
V茅ronique Gens, soprano (Venus)
Natalie Dessay, soprano (Eurydice)
Chorus and orchestra of Lyon Opera
Mark Minkowski, conductor

Les deux aveugles (Overture)
The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields
Neville Marriner, conductor

Le financier et le savetier (scene 8, extract: 鈥淛鈥檃i-z-un million!鈥�)
Eric Huchet, tenor (Larfaillou)
Fr茅d茅ric Bialecki, baritone (premier invit茅)
Franck Th茅zan, tenor (Belazor)
Orchestre Pasdeloup
Jean-Christophe Keck, conductor

Orph茅e aux enfers (Act 1 tableau 2, opening: Entr鈥檃cte et choeur du sommeil 鈥� Les heures 鈥� 鈥淧ar Saturne! Quell est ce bruit!鈥�)
Patricia Petibon, soprano (Cupidon)
V茅ronique Gens, soprano (V茅nus)
Laurent Naouri, bass baritone (Jupiter)
Jennifer Smith, soprano (Diane)
Chorus and orchestra of Lyon Opera
Mark Minkowski, conductor

Orph茅e aux enfers (Act 1 tableau 2, conclusion: 鈥淚l approche! Il s鈥檃vance!鈥� 鈥� 鈥淕loire! gloire 脿 Jupiter鈥�)
Lydie Pruvot, soprano (Junon)
Jean-Paul Fouch茅court, tenor (Pluton)
Yann Beuron, tenor (Orph茅e)
Ewa Podle艣, mezzo soprano (L'Opinion Publique)
Jennifer Smith, soprano (Diane)
Laurent Naouri, bass baritone (Jupiter)
V茅ronique Gens, soprano (V茅nus)
Patricia Petibon, soprano (Cupidon)
Etienne Lescroart, tenor (Mercure)
Virginie Pochon, soprano (Minerve)
Chorus and orchestra of Lyon Opera
Mark Minkowski, conductor

Le Carnaval des revues (Symphonie de l'avenir 鈥� March des fianc茅s)
Laurent Naouri, bass baritone (Le compositeur de l鈥檃venir)
Marc Minkowski, conductor

Monsieur Choufleuri restera chez lui le 鈥� (No 6, Trio Italien)
Mady Mespl茅, soprano (Ernestine)
Emmy Greger, mezzo soprano (Mme Balandard)
Michel Hamel, tenor (Balandard)
Michel Trempont, baritone (Petermann)
Charles Burles, tenor (Chrysodule Babylas)
Jean-Philippe Lafont, baritone (Monsieur Choufleuri)
Ensemble Choral Jean Laforge
Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo
Manuel Rosenthal, conductor

Produced by Chris Barstow for 大象传媒 Wales