Class 2: "Cancan/Cachucha"

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2. Cancan/Cachucha. My title today is largely a matter of alliteration. Orpheus in the Underworld, (1858) the first of the two operettas by Jacques Offenbach we shall sample today, is indeed famous for its can-can. La Périchole (1868), a largely fanciful bio-musical about a Peruvian street-singer, is also about a musician—but though it contains a lot of Spanish-flavored dances, I doubt any of them is an actual cachucha.

Orpheus was the first of Offenbach's full-length operettas, after he made his name with dozens of shorter ones. Périchole is a later example of the genre that established his position as the founder of operetta and the man to be emulated, whether in Vienna by Strauss and Lehar, London by Gilbert and Sullivan, or Broadway by Romberg and Friml. The obvious artifice of Offenbach's confections and the general flimsiness of his plots have led directors to tackle him with an unusual range of styles covering the gamut of taste, which can make it hard to find good videos to show. But nothing can obscure his obvious musical craftsmanship, rhythmic verve, or ear for a good tune. rb.

The script, videos, and images will be posted immediately after class.

Handout (flat) Handout (folded) Class Script

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VIDEO LINKS

The situation for these two shows on YouTube is a bit iffy. At the time of writing, there are two good Orpheus performances up there, including the one from Aix that we saw (though without titles) and another from Lyon (with titles) featuring the real-life couple of Natalie Dessay and Laurent Naouri as Eurydice and Jupiter: superb performances but in inferior video quality. But neither was there a few weeks ago, and they may well disappear equally quickly. The Salzburg production is represented only by a trailer, an introduction by Barrie Kosky, and a couple of clips which I did not show. The old BBC production shows its age, but as it is in English and has a rather clever concept, it may be worth a look.

I have given a link where you can buy the Périchole DVD on Amazon for about $24. On YouTube, it is represented only by a trailer and two clips: the pair of songs sung by Périchole and Piquillo in Act I and their duet in the dungeon in Act III. But since those were both numbers I featured in class, they may well be enough as a reminder. I also include the two trailers from other productions that I showed in class. *Asterisks mark items not shown. rb.

ORPHÉE AUX ENFERS
	Salzburg	* Buy DVD (Amazon, about $26) * Substantial trailer (3 minutes) * Barrie Kosky explains concept * Pluto's entrance aria * Diana's entrance aria
	Aix-en-Provence	* Complete show (seen in class, but French titles only) * — revolt of the gods * — Jupiter as a fly * — closing numbers
	Other productions	* Lyon 2009 (not best video, but with titles) * BBC 1983 (in English translation)

LA PÉRICHOLE
	Opéra Comique	* Buy DVD (Amazon, about $24) * Brief trailer * Street songs (as shown in class) * Dungeon love duet (as shown in class)
	Other productions	* Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, trailer (shown in class) * New York City Opera, trailer (part shown in class) * Carpenteras Festival 1980, complete (traditional production, no titles)


IMAGES
The thumbnails below cover the slides shown in class, though there may be a few small discrepancies. Click the thumbnail to see a larger image. Click on the right or left of the larger picture to go forward or back, or outside it to close.

Here are brief bios of the composers and writers considered in the class, listed in order of birth.

	Prosper Mérimée, 1803–70. French writer. As a writer, Mérimée is probably best known for his 1845 novella Carmen, which became the basis of the 1875 Bizet opera. He also wrote the play on which Offenbach and his collaborators based La Périchole (1868). In public life, he served as superintentant of French monuments, supervising the restoration of Notre Dame and (with George Sand) discovering and preserving the celebrated Unicorn tapestries.
	Jacques Offenbach, 1819–80. German-French composer. The son of a cantor, Offenbach took the name of the German town near Cologne in which he was born. After studying briefly at the Paris Conservatoire and establishing a career as cello soloist and conductor, he began to write operettas, composing over 90 in the course of a long and wildly successful career. He is also known for his unfinished grand opera The Tales of Hoffmann.
	Henri Meilhac, 1830–97. French playwright. With Ludovic Halévy, he wrote the libretti for Bizet's Carmen and several Offenbach operettas including La belle Hélène and La Périchole. He was also the librettist of Massenet's Manon. In addition to his operatic libretti, he wrote more than 75 plays.
	Ludovic Halévy, 1834–1908. French playwright. Halévy was one of the most celebrated librettists of his time, generally working in collaborations with other writers. He is best remembered for his work with Henri Meilhac, which includes Bizet's Carmen and La Périchole and many other operettas by Offenbach. The composer Fromental Halévy was his uncle.