P.S. Incidentally, the old man in the painting is actually pointing to the heavens, not producing a much more reproachable gesture :D.
As its commemoration of the centenary of Offenbach's death, the Theatre National de l'Opera de Paris presented an enterprising triple bill of one-act pieces under the collective title of "Vive Offenbach!". It was a tremendous success, and to coincide with the revival EMI recorded in 1982 an equally entertaining studio presentation of the works. The centerpiece of both these venues was the 1861 operetta, "Monsieur Choufleuri restera chez lui le...", a fountain of Gallic charm.
Narrative: "Monsieur Choufleuri" is a typical Offenbach satire: a wealthy old man, Choufleuri (baritone), seeks to enter Parisian society by presenting a soirée for which he has engaged the singers Sontag, Rubini and Tamburini. The zaniness begins when the singers all withdraw at the last minute. To prevent the old man becoming the ridicule of the whole city, his daughter, Ernestine (soprano), and her secret lover, the composer Babylas (tenor), devise a scheme: they will take it up to themselves to impersonate the famous singers. Naturally, their talent saves the day, and, after Choufleuri allows the marriage of the young people, all ends happily. The plot is almost none-existent but it is more than enough to ignite Offenbach's humor.
The piece the main characters actually perform in front of Choufleuri's guests is the one presented in this case. The "narrative" of the scene is a vintage example of opera conflict #1: a confrontation between the lovers, Pamela, the Doge's daughter, and Artouro, and the soprano's tyrannic father.
Music: While the whole vaudeville is a most charming entertainment, Offenbach obviously saw the terzet as the operetta's dramatic and musical centerpiece, and, indeed, the piece - a little volcano of inspiration and good humor - is a marvelous parody (Choufleuri actually announces the opera from which the except was lovingly seized as a collaboration between Rossini and Verdi). The structure is wholly faithful to the belcanto idiom: scene - andante - tempo di mezzo - stretta (with a few extended cadenzas thrown in just for the fun of it). The trio opens with a short accompanied recitative for the soprano which already surpasses all possible expectations: as if the butchered Italian was not enough (in her sentimental state Pamela mixes "Roman fields" with "delicious macaroni"), Offenbach sets the heroine's declamation (rather winning in its final moments) to a buffoonish accompaniment of heavy string chords. However, the three-part andante is an unexpectedly lovely belcanto melody accompanied by the usual pizzicato figures with Offenbach cunningly inserting just a hint of parody to disrupt what could have easily been a serious terzet: the silly entrance of the winds at the end of one of the soprano's phrases (1:28), the rather annoying oboe line in the tenor's answer (1:56), the booming parlando of the baritone (2:45), the unending final coda (3:44) that incorporates painfully dead-on melodramatic exclamations. The brief tempo di mezzo, as the father finally becomes aware of Arturo's presence, gives way to the first half of the stretta, heralded by giggling wind and drum figures, where both lovers begin pestering "papa" to allow their union. The baritone's constant "never" is then followed by a full minor episode (stern drums and horns, string tremolos, wind surges providing the "orchestral color") which is mostly occupied by an extended "curse" for the baritone, interrupted only by Babylas reminding Choufleuri that he must actually sing in Italian, not French. An overlong double cadenza for the higher voices is resolved by the final return to the second part of the stretta. This time, however, we move, at last, to a prolonged and lovingly humorous crescendo (repeated twice) where the only words that can actually be heard are the soprano's "my father", while the men mostly mumble "patati-patatam". The section is resolved by an even more over-the-top coda (where out of nowhere a chorus appears to provide support for the soloists) that ends the scene in a suitably grand opera manner. A parody of perfect proportions, all in all.
Recording: The EMI issue is an almost perfect representation of all presented works. Manuel Rosenthal, leading the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and the Ensemble Choral Jean Laforge, provides an accompaniment of irresistible charm. The soloists are all old professionals and they make virtually no wrong steps, though one could complain a bit about the vibrato of Mesple whose technical accomplishment, however, is never in question.
Monsieur Choufleuri - Jean-Philippe Lafont,
Ernestine - Mady Mesple,
Babylas - Charles Burles,
Petermann (baritone), Choufleuri's butler - Michel Trempont.
Hope you'll enjoy :).
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Hidden treasures - Louise Bertin - La Esmeralda (1836) - Selected highlightsby LindoroRossini3,764 views
How charming and what fun!
7inga7 2 years ago 2
When I was a student towards the turn of the last century Welsh National Opera toured with two Offenbach pieces, one of which was "Mister Colly-Flower's At Home".
I have never laughed as much at anything. It was a splendid evening ! I only wish they would redo it, or that I could get it on DVD.
Thanks for rekindling the memories (though all I can really remember is streaming tears and aching ribs).
alantdavey 2 years ago 2