Jacques OFFENBACH (1819-1880)
La Périchole, Opéra Bouffe in three acts (1868, rev. 1874, mixed version assembled by Marc Minkowski)
French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy based on one-act play Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement (1829) by Prosper Mérimée
Chœur de L’Opéra National de Bordeaux, Alphonse Cemin (chorus master)
Les Musiciens du Louvre/Marc Minkowski
rec. live, 14-16 October 2018, Auditorium de l’Opéra de Bordeaux, France
Full French libretto with English translation provided
BRU ZANE BZ1036 [51:40 + 51:11]
There have been a number of releases celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Jacques Offenbach, many being repackaged appraisals of earlier recordings, but none have been better than this new live performance of La Périchole.
This is a comic opera, a term I use since Offenbach himself described only his short one-act frivolities as operettas. It is new to me, but I do have a handful of other works and this fits in well with his multi-act works that I know. Its use of comic timing and turn of phrase, excellent choral writing and brilliant orchestration mixed which sparkling wit in the spoken sections, makes it an attractive and amusing romp, one that leaves a smile on the listener’s face.
The action takes place in Lima, Peru, which is under Spanish rule, with the penniless street singer, La Périchole, seeking to become the mistress of the wealthy Viceroy Don Andrès in order to become financially comfortable. However, for this to happen she must firstly be married. Her chosen husband to be is Piquillo, her lover, who is so drunk he doesn’t realise who he is marrying. Act II opens on the morning after the nuptials, Piquillo, now sober, but still not realising who he married, declares the marriage a sham, as he loves another. He is duty bound to present his new wife to the Viceroy, and when he realises that it is La Périchole, now the official mistress of the Viceroy, he runs into a rage insulting the Viceroy, for which he is sent to a prison for ‘recalcitrant husbands’. Act III begins with La Périchole visiting Piquillo in gaol, where he rages again. She tells him of her plan to bribe a gaoler in order to get him released. When the gaoler arrives, he proves to be none other than the Viceroy in disguise. Realising La Périchole’s deceit, he has her thrown in the cell with Piquillo. In the cell there is, however, an old inmate who has built a tunnel through which La Périchole and Piquillo escape. In hiding in the city, it is not long before the couple are found by a patrol, at which point the Viceroy himself appears. La Périchole and Piquillo sing a duet outlining their misfortune, at which the Viceroy takes pity on the couple and releases them. They go on to live happily ever after.
For this production of La Périchole, Marc Minkowski has produced a new performing edition, one which is effect, an amalgam of both earlier editions. The result is a version that romps along and is highly attractive. Yes, some might find the sometimes long passages of spoken dialogue a bit off-putting, but they do help the story to flow, and the quality of the music, which is wonderful, keeps the good nature of the libretto and Offenbach’s Opéra Bouffe. There is some real comic interplay between the cast of characters, both spoken and sung, and it is this that helps the plot spin along, not least in the Act II: Chœur de la présentation “Nous allons donc voir un mari”, which mixes solo singing and ensemble singing to good effect.
There is some very good characterisation here, with each of the main soloists bringing their role to life. Aude Extrémo and Stanislas de Barbeyrac are well matched as the young couple – listen to their Act I Séguedille “Vous a-t-on dit souvent” and the Duetto du mariage “Je dois vous prévenir, madame”, or their Act III Complainte des amoureux “Écoutez, peup' d'Amérique”, for this to be clear. Don Andrès de Ribeira the Viceroy of Peru is well voiced by the baritone Alexandre Duhamel – try the Act I Couplets “Sans en rien souffler à personne”. Indeed, all the singing, and for that matter the declamation, is done very well, with the chorus having a significant role to play too. The orchestral playing is wonderful also, with Marc Minkowski marshalling his forces very well indeed. He may be an unusual idea of a champion for the music of Offenbach, but his edition and this performance really work well.
The presentation, like all these Bru Zane releases in their Opera français edition, is exemplary, with the discs tucked inside the cover of a hardback book containing informative essays, synopsis and libretto, in both French and English. The recorded sound is very good. There is the occasional slight drop in dynamics due to the cast moving around the stage in this live production, and you also get the cheering input of the audience, but on the whole they are on very good behaviour and it does not affect the enjoyment of this wonderful production. A worthy addition to the Opera français edition, one I think I will be returning to often.
Stuart Sillitoe
Previous review: Michael Cookson
Cast
Aude Extrémo (mezzo-soprano) – La Périchole, street singer
Stanislas de Barbeyrac (tenor) – Piquillo, her lover
Alexandre Duhamel (baritone) – Don Andrès de Ribeira, Viceroy of Peru
Éric Huchet (tenor) – Don Miguel de Panatellas, first gentleman of the bedchamber
Marc Mauillon (tenor / baritone) – Don Pedro de Hinoyosa, Mayor of Lima
Enguerrand de Hys – Premier Notaire / Le Marquis,
François Pardailhé – Second Notaire,
Olivia Doray – Guadalena, first cousin / Manuelita, first lady in waiting
Julie Pasturaud – Berginella, second cousin / Frasquinella, second lady in waiting
Mélodie Ruvio – Mastrilla, third cousin / Ninetta, third lady in waiting
Adriana Bignagni Lesca – Brambilla, fourth lady in waiting
Jean Sclavis – A prisoner
Contents of the book
Alexandre Dratwicki, The ‘Péricholes’ of Offenbach, and Marc Minkowski’s version
Gérard Condé, ‘La Périchole’, step by step
Waldemar Kamer, The Spanish amours of the Second Empire
Arnold Mortier, How Offenbach rehearses
Synopsis
Libretto - French and English
Detailed track listing
