As one successful work
followed another, Offenbach was dubbed
by Rossini as ‘The Mozart of the Champs
Elysées’. Born Jacob Eberst,
in Cologne, the son of a jobbing Jewish
fiddler cum music teacher, Offenbach
revealed such early talent that the
father made many sacrifices to send
his son to study in Paris. Here he scraped
a living as a jobbing cellist composing
in his spare time. At the time of the
1855 World Exhibition in Paris, frustrated
by inability to get his compositions
performed, he opened the miniscule Théâtre
des Bouffes Parisiens. Visitors to The
Exhibition flocked to hear his tuneful
operettas, which fitted the mood of
the country at that time like a glove.
However, this frivolous time in France
finished abruptly with the Franco-Prussian
war, the siege of Paris, the fall of
the Emperor Napoleon 3rd,
and the collapse of the Second Empire.
La Périchole,
based on a Mérimée drama
of 1829. It was premiered in 1868 and
tells the story of La Périchole
a gypsy street singer and her lover
Piquillo. They travel to Peru where
Don Andrès the local Viceroy
likes to roam the streets incognito.
Charmed by La Périchole he takes
her onto his staff on condition she
takes a husband of convenience. The
Viceroy’s equerry chooses non other
than Piquillo who, desperate about the
disappearance of his lover, turns up
at the wedding blind drunk not realising
who he is to marry. Piquillo ends up
in gaol and when Périchole tries,
by subterfuge, to rescue him, she ends
up there to. The lovers’ escape and
when Périchole sings the Viceroy
the Ballad of Augustus’s Clemency obtains
his pardon.
Whilst the German branches
of various recording companies have
done generous justice to the fund of
national operettas, the lighter works
of French composers, particularly Offenbach,
have done less well on record. It is
suggested that this neglect has been
due to the lack of French singers with
the vital facility for rapid patter
and phrasing in the language and which
is essential in such works. This recording
refutes that argument with two native
French singers in the lead roles and
a strong supporting Francophone cast.
Typical is the Don Andrès of
the Belgian Jules Bastin. Of French
speaking Walloon background he fines
down his big voice and gives a well
characterised and rounded performance.
Bastin might not quite match the old
master Gabriel Bacquier on the EMI version
conducted by Plasson. However, compare
the Spaniards Berganza and Carreras
on that version with Régine Crespin
and Alain Vanzo here and there I just
no match. The native French speakers
use the language and its nuances to
play off the words all the time. Add
the scintillating conducting and clear
recording and it makes for an outstanding
performance. Régine Crespin as
Périchole is full toned and superbly
expressive in her tipsy song (tr. 6)
and preceding O mon cher amant (tr.
5) and characterises superbly throughout.
Alain Vanzo has graced recordings on
several labels. His was, perhaps, the
only true French tenor of his generation
although the Spanish speaking Canarian
Alfredo Krauss could compete idiomatically
in the repertoire. Vanzo’s voice combines
the ideal mixture of heady tone, unobtrusive
nasality and tang. Given his musicality
and ability to act with his voice then
the combination is perfect (trs. 8,
11 and 15). When Crespin and Vanzo sing
together (trs. 19-20) one can only wonder
why so few of Offenbach’s tuneful creations
are found on record. Whilst this duo
are the core of this recording there
are also vital idiomatic contributions
from the rest of the cast in the many
concerted numbers. Equally important
to is the vibrant chorus and, as I have
indicated, the sheer fizz wrought to
this tuneful work by the conductor.
The complete work lasts
around 100 minutes. This highlights
represents a generous selection of the
music and the work as a whole. It is
67 minutes of unalloyed joy. I strongly
recommend it. If the highlights tempt
you to go out and buy the complete work
with these artists so much the better.
You will doubtless enjoy that to and
perhaps go on to try some of Offenbach’s
other works that have made it on to
disc. The accompanying booklet has a
brief synopsis, regrettably not track
related, in English, French and German
as well as a track listing and brief
description of the characters.
Robert J Farr
Chorus of l’Opera du Rhin. Orchestre Philharmonique
de Strasbourg. Cond. Alain Lombard 