大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of the maestro of the Cancan and much more besides, Jacques Offenbach. Today, a mysterious stranger makes him an offer he cannot refuse.

In 1874, Offenbach鈥檚 finances hit the buffers after he mounted a spectacularly inflated, four-act version of Orph茅e aux enfers (Orpheus in the underworld), a monumentally overblown staging of Victorien Sardou鈥檚 prose tragedy La Haine (Hatred), and then 鈥� the icing on the cake 鈥� a silicon-enhanced version of his own operetta, Genevi猫ve de Brabant; all coming on top of his recent takeover and lavish, no-expense-spared refurbishment of Paris鈥檚 Th茅芒tre de la Gait茅. So when a Latin-American impresario called Lino Bacquero turned up at Offenbach鈥檚 summer retreat on the terrace at Saint-Germain-en-Laye the following year, offering him $30,000 payable in advance to conduct a series of 30 concerts in the United States to celebrate the centenary of American Independence in 1876, it must have seemed to the beleaguered composer like manna from heaven. After a shaky start, the tour, which took in New York, Philadelphia and a town he referred to only as 鈥淴鈥� 鈥� perhaps because, in his words, the orchestra there was 鈥渆xecrable鈥� 鈥� was a definite hit. On his return to France, Offenbach wrote an entertaining book about his experiences Stateside, documenting such things as the musical highs and lows, the culinary scene, and his observations on American life in general. He was particularly fascinated by American women, who, he said, were 鈥渉andsome in a proportion wholly unknown in Paris. Out of every hundred that you meet, there are ninety who are ravishing.鈥�

Vert-Vert (overture)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Neeme J盲rvi, conductor

American Eagle Waltz
Philip Collins, trumpet
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Erich Kunzel, conductor

La vie Parisienne (Act 2, beginning)
Andr茅 Batisse, tenor (Alphonse)
Jean-Christophe Benoit, baritone (Frick)
Mady Mespl茅, soprano (Gabrielle)
Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Michel Plasson, conductor

Les belles Am茅ricaines
Marco Sollini, piano

La Belle H茅l猫ne (Act 2, No 11: Invocation 脿 V茅nus, 鈥極n me nomme H茅l猫ne le blond鈥�)
Felicity Lott, soprano (H茅l猫ne)
Les Musiciens du Louvre
Marc Minkowski, conductor

La jolie parfumeuse (Act 1, 鈥楯e peins, je crayonne鈥�)
Lo茂c F茅lix, tenor (Poirot)
Elizabeth Vidal, soprano (Rose)
Alexandra Sherman, mezzo soprano (Bavolet)
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra
David Parry, conductor

La jolie parfumeuse (Act 2, 鈥楶ardieu!鈥�)
Mark Stone, baritone (Germain)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
David Parry, conductor

La jolie parfumeuse (Act 2, 鈥楢ir de Polacca鈥�)
Laura Claycomb, soprano (Clorinde)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
David Parry, conductor

Produced by Chris Barstow for 大象传媒 Wales