La vie parisienne
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La vie parisienne (Parisian life) is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, composed by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy.
This work was Offenbach's first full-length piece to portray contemporary Parisian life, unlike his earlier period pieces and mythological subjects. It became one of Offenbach's most popular operettas.
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[edit] Performance history
It was first produced in a five-act version at the Palais Royal, Paris on October 31, 1866. The work was revived in four acts (missing the original fourth act) on 25 September 1873 at the Théâtre des Variétés, Paris.
It was first given in London at the Holborn Theatre on March 30, 1872 in an adaptation by F. C. Burnand. The New York premiere was at the first Booth Theatre, on June 12, 1876.
[edit] Roles
| Premiere 31 October 1866 |
Four-act version 12 June 1873 |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobinet, A Parisian dandy | baritone | Gil-Pérès | |
| An employee of the railways | speaking part | Millaux | |
| Raoul de Gardefeu, a Parisian dandy | tenor | Priston | |
| Métella, a demi-mondaine | soprano | Honorine | |
| Gontran, Métella's friend | tenor | Coste | |
| Joseph, a guide | speaking part | Martal | |
| Le Baron de Gondremarck, a Swedish traveller | baritone | Hyacinthe | |
| La Baronne de Gondremarck, his wife | soprano | Céline Montaland | |
| The Brazilian, a wealthy person | baritone | Jules Brasseur | |
| Alphonse, Gardefeu's valet | speaking part | Ferdinand | |
| Frick, a bootmaker | baritone | Jules Brasseur | |
| Gabrielle, a glovemaker soprano | soprano | Zulma Bouffar | |
| Pauline, a chambermaid | soprano | Elmire Paurelle | |
| Prosper, a servant | baritone | Jules Brasseur | |
| Urbain, a servant | baritone | Lassouche | |
| Clara, the concierge's niece | soprano | Henry | |
| Leonie - the concierge's niece | mezzo-soprano | Bédard | |
| Louise - the concierge's niece | mezzo-soprano | Breton | |
| Madame de Quimper-Karadec, Bobinet's aunt (1866) | Félicia Thierret | ||
| Mme de Folle-Verdure, her nièce (1866) | Léontine Massin | ||
| Alfred, a majordomo (1873) | baritone | Léonce | |
| Caroline, the concierge's niece (1873) | Julia H. | ||
| Julie, the concierge's niece (1873) | Magne | ||
| Augustine, the concierge's niece (1873) | Maria | ||
| Albertine, a demi-mondaine (1873) | Pauline | ||
| Charlotte, a demi-mondaine (1873) | V. Klein | ||
[edit] Synopsis
The story begins at the railway station, where the employees boast of all the wonderful places in France. Soon, Baron and Baroness Gondremarck arrive from frozen Stockholm for a Parisian holiday and ask tour guide Joseph Partout to show them the city's glittering night life. Finally, Pompa di Matadores, a Brazilian millionaire, arrives to spend a fortune in the capitol. In Act II, Metella, a prostitute with a heart of gold, reads a letter from Baron Gondremarck's friend, Baron Frascata asking her to give Gondremarck the same pleasure she once had given him. In Act III, at a party, the guests vow to make their pleasure long lasting as they eye one another, waiting to see who will make the first move. Bobinet rises to greet the crowd with a drinking song. The champagne flows and Baron Gondremarck (and everyone else) gets drunk. The party turns into a wild, sensual debauch. In Act IV, The Brazilian millionaire is offering a masked ball. Metella, anxious to win back Gardefeu, is in league with the Baroness, who wants to extricate her husband from the perils of Parisian life. The Brazilian and Gabrielle the pretty glover discover the virtues of love at first sight. All ends happily.
[edit] External links
- http://www.boosey.com/downloads/VieParisienne_frz.pdf French libretto as originally submitted for censorship (Paris 1866/73).
- http://www.boosey.com/downloads/VieParisienne_dt.pdf German libretto as originally submitted for censorship (Vienna 1867).
- Synopsis and information from NODA
- Information about Offenbach and the operetta
[edit] Source
Vie parisienne, La by Andrew Lamb, in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
