Disc 1
1	Act 1. Overture			
2	Act 1. Narrator			
3	Act 1. En attendant que l'heure sonne...			
4	Act 1. Narrator			
5	Act 1. O mon Fritz, que tu m'affliges
6	Act 1. Narrator			
7	Act 1. Des femmes dans le camp
8	Act 1. Narrator			
9	Act 1. Me voici, Fritz! J'ai tant couru
10	Act 1. Narrator			
11	Act 1. Portons armes! Presentons armes!			
12	Act 1. Narrator			
13	Act 1. Chanson du regiment: Ah, c'est un fameux regiment			
14	Act 1. Narrator			
15	Act 1. Pour Epouser une princesse
16	Finale: Nous allions partir pour la guerre			
17	Finale: Mais je suis reine	
18	Finale: Je serai vainqueur	
19	Act 2. Scene 1. Introduction	
20	Act 2. Scene 1. Narrator	
21	Act 2. Scene 1. Enfin la guerre est terminee			
22	Act 2. Scene 1. Narrator	
23	Act 2. Scene 1. Apres la victoire
24	Act 2. Scene 1. Madame, en quatre jours			
25	Act 2. Scene 1. En tres bon ordre nous partemes			

Disc 2
1	Act 2. Scene 1. Narrator	
2	Act 2. Scene 1. Voici ce qu'a dit mon amie			
3	Act 2. Scene 1. Eh bien, reponds-moi maintenant			
4	Act 2. Scene 1. Narrator	
5	Act 2. Scene 1. Ne devinez-vous pas?
6	Act 2. Scene 1. Maintenant, me comprenez-vous?			
7	Act 3. Prelude			
8	Act 3. Narrator			
9	Act 3. O grandes lesons du passe!
10	Act 3. Narrator			
11	Act 3. Nous amenons la jeune femme
12	Act 3. Bonne nuit!		
13	Act 3. Faut-il, mon Dieu, que je sois bete!			
14	3. Au repas comme a  la bataille
15	Act 3. Narrator			
16	Act 3. Voici revenir mon pauvre homme!			
17	Act 3. Eh bien, Altesse, me voila !
18	Act 3. Narrator			
19	Finale: Enfin, j'ai repris le pouvoir!	

La Grande Duchesse - Huguette Tourangeau
Fritz - John Walker
Prince Paul - Richard Stilwell
Baron Puck - Douglas Perry
Général Boum - Donald Gramm
Baron Grog - Jack Davidson
Népomuc - John Hall
Wanda - Susan Belling

Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and Chorus
John Crosby – conductor

As Napoléon III's expansionist ambitions laced French political life with a frisson of precariousness, the waning years of the Second Empire were iconographically marked by Offenbach's frothiest, most ambitious, and most enduring operettas, satires all -- La Belle Hélène (1864), guying the stupidity and cupidity of "heroes" and rulers; La Vie parisienne (1866), establishing the myth of Paris as the jaded capital of worldly pleasures; and, with the latter still enjoying a smash-hit run, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, opening at the Paris Variétés on April 12, 1867, after being cobbled together at breakneck speed to accompany the inauguration of the Paris World Exposition. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, librettists of those triumphs (and, in 1873, of Bizet's Carmen), were tapped once again, though Offenbach, guided by his keen sense of timing, exercised a major hand in shaping the book. With the Exposition drawing the full panoply of European royalty, nothing was spared to assure La Grande Duchesse's surefire success, beginning with the soprano lead, the grand duchess herself, for which Offenbach signed the reigning diva of operetta -- the creator of Helen in La Belle Hélène, among several other Offenbach roles -- the legendary Hortense Schneider at the astronomical sum of 4,500 francs a month. Tall, blonde, buxom, vocally endowed, with a saucily commanding presence on-stage and off, Schneider was charismatically fitted to portray one of the libretto's not-so-covert targets, Tsarina Catherine II, "the Great," whose sexual precocity -- in Don Juan, Byron refers to her as "queen of queans" and "greatest of all sovereigns and whores" -- was a still living memory and never-ending scandal. The pretentious pomp of militarism, petty intrigues, and overbearing idiocy masquerading in uniform provided other ready targets. Bismarck, who came for the Exhibition with the King of Prussia, attended, leaving with the remark "C'est tout-a-fait ça!" (That's how it is!) Emperor Napoléon waited until April 24 to see it, but soon returned with Empress Eugénie. The Prince of Wales, Tsar Alexander II (who wired ahead from Cologne for a ticket), the Kings of Bavaria, Portugal, and Sweden, the Sultan of Turkey, the Viceroy of Egypt, Ismail Pasha -- all came at least once, and some many times. Following the opening, a few small cuts facilitated the work's spanking pace, coruscating brilliance, and unflagging effervescence escalating, at frequent intervals, into irresistible tunefulness. In the upshot, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein became an immediate international hit, playing to rapt audiences in Vienna, London, and New York before the year was out. ---Adrian Corleonis, Rovi

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CD1
1. Ouverture - Choeur 
2. Act I – L Ciel Est Noir - Choeur Et Quatuor	play
3. Act I – Elles Sont triste - Couplets 
4. Act I – Ce Que Pourtant - Triolet 
5. Act I – Jamiasi - Trio 
6. Act I - Finale 
7. Act II – Entrez, Entrez - Duo 
8. Act II – Dans Cette Ville - Couplets 
9. Act II – Vous Souvient - Rondo 
10. Act II – Pour Decouper - Couplets 		play
11. Act II – Finale

CD2
1. Act III - Il Faut- Choeur 
2. Act III – Donc, Je Puis - Septour 
3. Act III – L’Amour - Duetto 				play
4. Act III – On Va Courir - Couplets 
5. Act III – Votre Habit - Sextuor 
6. Act III – Soupons, Soupons - Finale 
7. Act IV - Bien Bichonnes - Choeur 
8. Act IV – Avant Toute Chose - Couplets 		play
9. Act IV – C’est Ici - Rondo 
10. Act IV – En Avant - Choeur - Duo 
11. Act IV - Finale

Mady Mesple
Régine Crespin
Luis Masson
Michel Trempont
Alan Christophe Benoir
Christiane Chateau
Éliane Lublin
Michel Jarry

Choeur et Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Michel Plasson – conductor

Jacques Offenbach (born Jacob Offenbach; 20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880) was a German-born French composer and cellist of the Romantic era and one of the originators of the operetta form. Of German-Jewish ancestry, he was one of the most influential composers of popular music in Europe in the 19th century, and many of his works remain in the repertory. Offenbach's numerous operettas, such as Orpheus in the Underworld, and La belle Hélène, were extremely popular in both France and the English-speaking world during the 1850s and 1860s. They combined political and cultural satire with witty grand opera parodies. His popularity in France went down during the 1870s after the Second Empire, and he fled France, but during the last years of his life, his popularity rebounded, and several of his operettas are still performed. While his name remains associated most closely with the French operetta and the Second Empire, it is Offenbach's one fully operatic masterpiece, Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), composed at the end of his career, that has become the most familiar of Offenbach's works in major opera houses.

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. It was first produced in a five-act version at the Théâtre du Palais Royal, Paris on 31 October 1866. The work was revived in four acts (without 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 30 March 1872 in an adaptation by F. C. Burnand. The New York premiere was at the first Booth Theatre, on 12 June 1876.

In the early 90's I was able to buy four of Offenbach's operettas at Tower's Record Annex, which is long gone. Cds were sold for about $1.98. I purchased La Vie Parisienne, La Belle Helene, Orphee aux Enfers and La Perichole, plus numerous other albums of works of other composers. They were all new CDs. Record companies had discovered that the number of Americans who bought classical music had dropped from 11 percent to 6 percent, and so record companies dumped much of their inventory. By 2011 the number of people who listen to classical music has dropped even more. Do I feel bad that American tastes for great music has declined? Yes, but I got a chance to snap up so much great music, including much more when BMG Music and J&R did the same. I have bought two other operettas of Offenbach since then, but these four are, to me, the most melodic and entertaining. All but one of them are from EMI. The other, La Perichole, is from Erato. If you are lucky in these bad times to have a lot of money, buy all four of them. These are wonderful pieces of music. ---William J. Coburg

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1. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Prologue - King Bobiche
2. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Prologue 2 - Bluebeard Enters 	
3. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: The Queen and Her Courtiers 				play	
4. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: The King Engages Oscar 
5. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Hermilia and Prince Sapphire 	
6. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Bluebeard in the Village 
7. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Bluebeard and Boulette 	
8. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Oscar and the Suitors 	
9. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Oscar and Hermilia Depart 
10. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: The Carriages Meet 
11. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Bluebeard and Hermilia 	
12. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: The Alchemist in the Crypt 	
13. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: The Alchemist Takes Pity 	
14. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Hermilia is Welcomed Home 	
15. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: The Duel - Bluebeard & Sapphire 
16. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Thrashing of Bluebeard 	
17. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Wives and Lovers 	
18. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Waltz Reprise 	
19. Barbe-bleue, operetta in 3 acts: Final Celebration 	
20. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: Prologue on Mount Ida 	
21. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: Aphrodite Wins the Golden Apple 
22. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: The King and his Court						play 	
23. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: The King is Deceived 
24. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: Helen Gives Paris the Key 	
25. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: Helen and Paris Make Love 	
26. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: King Menelaus Returns 
27. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: Helen and Paris Flee 	
28. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: The Port of Sparta 	
29. La belle Hélène, operetta in 3 acts: Helen and Paris Set Sail

Arranged by Antal Dorati
Ballet Theatre Orchestra
Joseph Levine – conductor

Jacques Offenbach is known to most as the composer of the opera 'Les Contes d'Hoffmann' but he also composed a number of delightful ballet scores including the two works on this recording, 'Bluebeard' and 'Helen of Troy.' Both ballets were mainstays in the repertoire of the legendary Ballet Theatre of Mexico City. On this recording the music is presented in two orchestral suites arranged by the great conductor Antal Dorati. The music is filled with bustling, effervescent tunes and an extremely popular 'Les Patineurs' by Giacomo Meyerbeer in an arrangement by Constant Lambert.

This dance extravaganza is performed by the Ballet Theatre Orchestra under the direction of Joseph Levine, an expert hand in this repertoire. This is a digitally re mastered recording from masters taken from the late 1950's and it's a sonic blockbuster. Brass shines with a brilliant glow and the string sound is warm and rich. This is a real treat for lovers of lavishly orchestrated ballet scores. --- arkivmusic.com

The liner notes are a bit misleading in calling these two orchestral suites arranged by Antal Dorati (better known as a conductor) from Offenbach scores, "suites from the ballet" Bluebeard and Helen of Troy. No, they are orchestral suites from ballet arrangements of two Offenbach operettas - "opera-bouffe" is what Offenbach called them both. The Bluebeard-ballet was first performed in Mexico City on October 27, 1941 - way too late for Offenbach to attend -, by the dance company called Ballet Theatre (originally established in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet and renamed American Ballet Theatre in 1956) on a choreography by Michel Fokine, who years earlier had been one the stars choreographer of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, before breaking off when Dhiagilev became infatuated with his new star, Vaslav Nijinsky. The original Offenbach Bluebeard was premiered in 1866 - way to soon for Fokine or Dorati to attend. Apparently the script to the ballet is slightly different from the one Meilhac and Halevy originally devised for Offenbach. Part 1 of the ballet stages events that in the operetta take place before the beginning. Some of the names have been changed as well. Not that it matters.

Helen of Troy is in fact the "opera-bouffe" La Belle Helène (Fair Helen), composed by Offenbach two years before Bluebeard, and given in its Dorati-arranged ballet form a year after the Bluebeard ballet, in November 1942. Fokine started working on the ballet's choreography with the Ballet Theatre, but then he died (August 1942) and David Lichine - a member of the company another Russian-born become American dancer and choreographer - brought the work to completion.

Apparently Dorati's arrangement work implied not only choosing the excerpts and doing some cuts, but also entirely (re) orchestrating. I doubt that Offenbach's orchestra had such a jazzy trombone as the one featured track 16. The two ballet-suites were recorded in 1954 by the Ballet Theatre Orchestra under its music director Joseph Levine (a former student of pianist Josef Hofmann and of conductors Fritz Reiner and Arthur Rodzinski a the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia), so the interpretations have all the zestful, dynamic, balletic credentials and hallmarks of "authenticity" required. Their balletic context is now just a historical reference, of course, but these recordings can serve, like the numerous Carmen-suites or Ring Without Words, for those wanting to revel in the purely orchestral experience of Offenbach, without being distracted by - oh yeech! voices. The original Bluebeard is seldom recorded anyway - I wonder why, it is as good as anything Offenbach wrote. That said, as zestful as it is, I'm not sure Offenbach's orchestral writing is as interesting and as self-sufficient as Wagner's or even Bizet's, even in Dorati's arrangement (never heard of Verdi or Rossini Senza Parole, either), and anyway the 1954 mono sound, as good as the transfers are, is too unidimentional to allow for complete enjoyment. As long as you are going to bask in the orchestra's sounds and timbres, it should really surround you, not be just a sonic poster on the wall of paradise-island. ---Discophage, amazon.com

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Disc: 1
1. Du vice-roi c'est aujourd'hui la fete
2. Promptes a servir la pratique
3. Ah! Qu'on y fait gaiment glouglou
4. C'est lui, c'est notre vice-roi!
5. Dis-moi, Piquillo?
6. Le conquerant dit a la jeune indienne
7. Vous A-t-on Dit Souvent
8. Levez-vous et prenez vos rangs
9. O man cher amant, je te jure
10. Ah! mon Dieu!
11. Hola! he! hola! de la-bas

Disc: 2
1. Cher seigneur, revenez a vous
2. On vante partout son sourire
3. (Les Courtisans/Piquillo/Panatelas/Don Pedro)
4. Et la, maintenant que nous sommes seuls
5. Est-ce bientot cette presentation?
6. Nous allons donc voir un mari
7. C'est ici messieurs
8. Les maris courbaient la tete
9. On me proposait d'etre infame
10. Qui va la?
11. Dans ces couloirs obscurs
12. Je suis le joli geolier
13. Roi pas plus haut qu'une botte!
14. Tais-toi!
15. Elle m'adore
16. Que se passe-t-il donc?
17. En avant! en avant soldat!
18. Ecoutez, peup'd'Amerique
19. Tous deux, au temps de peine et de misère

La Périchole - Teresa Berganza
Teresa BerganzaPiquillo - José Carreras
Don Andrès - Gabriel Bacquier
Don Miguel de Panatellas - Michel Trempont
Don Pedro de Hinoyosa - Michel Sénéchal
Tarapote - André Batisse
Premier Notaire - Hugues Brambilla
Deuxieme Notaire - Henri Amiel
Guadalena - Pierrette Delange
Berginella - Michèle Command
Mastrilla - Sonia Nigoghossian
Frasquinella - Michèle Command
Manuelita - Pierrette Delange

Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Choeurs du Capitole de Toulouse
Michel Plasson – conductor

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01. Offenbach Orpheus in the Underworld (1874) - Ouverture
02. Offenbach Concerto for Cello and Orchestra : I. Allegro maestoso
03. Offenbach Concerto for Cello and Orchestra : II. Andante
04. Offenbach Concerto for Cello and Orchestra : III. Allegretto
05. Offenbach Les Fees du Rhin : I. Overture
06. Offenbach Les Fees du Rhin : II. Ballet
07. Offenbach Les Fees du Rhin : III. Grande Valse
08. Offenbach Ballet des Flocons de Neige from Le Voyage dans la Lune : I. Introduction
09. Offenbach Ballet des Flocons de Neige from Le Voyage dans la Lune : II. Les hirondelles bleues
10. Offenbach Ballet des Flocons de Neige from Le Voyage dans la Lune : III. Le Bonhomme de neige
11. Offenbach Ballet des Flocons de Neige from Le Voyage dans la Lune : IV. Les flocons anim?
12. Offenbach Ballet des Flocons de Neige from Le Voyage dans la Lune : V. Polka
13. Offenbach Ballet des Flocons de Neige from Le Voyage dans la Lune : VI. Mazurka
14. Offenbach Ballet des Flocons de Neige from Le Voyage dans la Lune : VII. Variations
15. Offenbach Ballet des Flocons de Neige from Le Voyage dans la Lune : VIII. Galop final

Jerome Pernoo - cello
Les Musiciens du Louvre
Marc Minkowski

Most of us know our Offenbach through a secondary source; we have heard it either through Gaîté Parisienne, which is Offenbach as rescored by modern composer Manuel Rosenthal, or through the various versions of his opera Les contes d'Hoffman, a work that Offenbach did not live to finish. The "authentic" Offenbach is recorded in manuscripts that are scattered all over the world, which musicologist Jean-Christophe Keck has been going to great lengths to gather up for publication in his Edition Offenbach-Keck, issued through Boosey & Hawkes. Keck's advocacy of Offenbach has done the composer some good -- it has led to the revival of such "lost" works as the opera Les Fées du Rhin and to a critical edition of Les contes d'Hoffman that seems to settle the matter of its intended shape. Offenbach Romantique, the Archiv release featuring Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre, utilizes Keck's editions as a point of departure and purports to give us a different spin on Offenbach's music that is closer to his own milieu than the many intermediary transmissions that exist of his orchestral work.

The main event here is the Concerto militaire, the 1847 cello concerto that established Offenbach as the most formidable cello virtuoso of his day. This concerto has been recorded a couple of times in a truncated, incomplete version cobbled together from sketches in the 1940s by cellist Jean-Max Clément. Keck has rebuilt the full, three-movement concerto from manuscripts located piecemeal in Germany, France, and the United States, and this is the version heard here, as played by young cellist Jerome Pernoo. Parts of it are unbelievably difficult, and Pernoo handles it with panache. The Concerto militaire operates at such a high level of difficulty that it is doubtful to enter the repertory for the cello, but this version makes a heck of a lot more musical sense than Clément's edition. The remainder of the disc includes the original overture to Orphée aux enfers, a short instrumental suite from Le Fées du Rhin (which includes an early version of the famous Barcarolle from Les contes d'Hoffman), and the captivating Ballet of the Snowflakes from Voyage dans la lune. The performances are lively, well paced, and played on "original instruments" that nonetheless sound about the same as modern instruments.

One aspect of Offenbach Romantique that does not come across is that Keck and Minkowski seem to want to you to deduce from their earnest, hard-earned handiwork concerning Offenbach is that his music, heard in its original form, constitutes "serious" romanticism on a level with his German contemporaries -- Brahms, Schumann, and the like. Offenbach's music isn't like that; even in its original guise, it sounds closest to the Strausses of anything that was out there in the nineteenth century. That said, Offenbach Romantique still makes for highly enjoyable listening and does inspire discussion as to what extent some measure of forward inspiration Offenbach may have had on Tchaikovsky, whose ballets are certainly no longer regarded as light music, even though technically they belong to that idiom. ---Uncle Dave Lewis, Rovi

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Disc: 1
1. Act One. Intro/No.1a-Chor: ' Vers Tes Autels...' - Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
2. Act One. Texte: 'Trop De Fleurs'/No.1b-Chor Des Jeunes Filles: 'C'est Le Devoir Des Jeunes...' - Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme/Jean-Philippe Lafont
3. Act One. No.2a-Air: Amours Divins.../Texte: Un Mot Grand Augure' - Jessye Norman
4. Act One. Texte: 'L'Affaire Du Mont Ida'/No.2b-Texte: 'Entrez, Entrez Vite Grande Reine' - Jessye Norman/Jean-Philippe Lafont
5. Act One. No.3a-Couplets: 'Au Cabaret Du Labyrinthe' - Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Jean-Philippe Lafont/Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
6. Act One. Texte: 'Mesdames Voici Le Calchas...'/No.3b: 'Tzing La La'/Texte: 'Tzing La La' - Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Jean-Philip Lafont/Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
7. Act One. Texte: 'Un Mot...'/No.4-Melodrame: 'Quoi?... La-bas Dans L'azur'/No.5-Melodrame: 'Homme... - Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
8. Act One. Texte: 'Ainsi Vous Avez Vu La Deesse'/No.6-Le Jugement De Paris: 'Au Mont Ida' - Jean-Philippe Lafont/John Aler
9. Act One. Texte: 'Mon Compliment...' - Jean-Philippe Lafont/John Aler/Jessye Norman
10. Act One. No.7a Marche: 'Voici Les Rois De La Grece...' - Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
11. Act One. No.7b Couplets Des Rois: 'Ces Rois Remplis De Vaillance'/No.7c-Reprise Du Chor: 'Voici... - Roger Trentin/Gerard Desroches/Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Jean-Philippe Lafont/Jacques Loreau...
12. Act One. Texte: 'Rois Et Peuples De La Grece...'/No.7d: 'Nous Commencons...' - Roger Trentin/Gerard Desroches/Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Jean-Philippe Lafont/Jacques Loreau...
13. Act One. Texte: 'Vainqueur, Il Est Vainqueur'/No.7e: 'Fanfare!...'/No.8-Finale: 'Gloire' - Jessye Norman/Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
14. Act Two. No.9 Entracte - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
15. Act Two. No.10 Chor: 'O Reine, En Ce Jour...'/Texte: 'Y Pensez-Vous Madame...' - Guy Llomme/Nicole Carreras/Jessye Norman/Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
16. Act Two. Texte: 'Je Garderai Cette Toilette' - Jessye Norman/Nicole Carreras
17. Act Two. Texte: 'O Venus...'/No.11-Invocation A Venus: 'On Me Nomme Helene La Blonde' - Jessye Norman
18. Act Two. Texte: 'Bonsoir Prince...' - Jessye Norman/John Aler
19. Act Two. No.12 Marche De L'Oie: 'Le Voici Le Roi Des Rois...' - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson

Disc: 2
1. Act Two. No.13 Scene Du Jeu: 'Vous Le Voyez' - Jessye Norman/John Aler/Charles Burles/Gabriel Bacquier/Jean-Philippe Lafont/Colette Alliot-Lugaz...
2. Act Two. Texte: 'Que Ces Choses Sont Desagreables'/No.14 Couplets Et Chor: 'En Couronnes... - Jessye Norman/Nicole Carreras/Jean-Philippe Lafont/John Aler/Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse...
3. Act Two. No.15 Duo: 'C'Est Le Ciel Qui M'Envoie...' - Jessye Norman/John Aler
4. Act Two. Texte: 'Ciel Mon Mari'/No.16 Finale: 'A Moi! Rois De La Grece...' - Jessye Norman/Charles Burles/John Aler/Gabriel Bacquier/Jean-Philippe Lafont/Colette Alliot-Lugaz...
5. Act Three. Entracte/No.18 Chor Et Chanson D'Oreste: 'Danson, Buvons'/No.18b Ronde: 'Venus Au... - Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
6. Act Three. No.18c Melodrame: 'Oh Mais Alors Ce N'etait Pas Un Reve' - Charles Burles/Jessye Norman/Gabriel Bacquier
7. Act Three. No.19 Couplets: 'La Vrai, Je Ne Suis Pas Coupable'/Texte: 'Et C'est Pour Avoir Cette... - Jessye Norman
8. Act Three. Texte: 'C'Est Pour Garder...' - Charles Burles/Jean-Philippe Lafont/Gabriel Bacquier
9. Act Three. No.20 Trio Patriotique: 'Lorsque La Grece...'/Texte: 'Il Faut Se Faire Une Raison...' - Gabriel Bacquier/Charles Burles/Jean-Philippe Lafont
10. Act Three. No.21a Chor Et Couplets De Paris: 'La Galere De Cythere...'/No.21b-Tyrolienne Avec... - Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
11. Act Three. Texte: 'Elle Pardonnera...' - John Aler/Charles Burles/Gabriel Bacquier/Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Llomme
12. Act Three. No.22 Finale: 'Elle Vient, C'est Elle...' - Jessye Norman/John Aler/Charles Burles/Gabriel Bacquier/Jean-Philippe Lafont/Colette Alliot-Lugaz...

Jessye Norman - Hélène (soprano)
John Aler - Paris (tenor)
Charles Burles - Agamemnon (tenor)
Gabriel Bacquier - Calchas (barítono)
Colette Alliot-Lugaz - Oreste (soprano)
Jacques Loreau - Achille (tenor)
Roger Trentin - Ajax Premier (tenor)
Gérard Desroches - Ajax Deuxieme (barítono)
Nicole Carreras - Bacchis (soprano)
Adam Levallier - Un Esclave (rol hablado)

Choeur et Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Michel Plasson – conductor, 1984

With two - albeit highly accomplished - Americans in the lead roles, the obvious question is whether they can carry off the Gallic charm exemplified by French artists in previous versions of this sparkling operetta. However, comparison with the classic, mono 1952 recording conducted by René Leibowitz - actually a Francophile Pole - starring Janine Linda (aka Janine Lindenfelder) and André Dran, reveals that this 1984 performance is by no means deficient in French style. As you might expect, Jessye Norman and John Aler are more careful and less spontaneous in their delivery of the dialogue, but they clearly studied to acquire beautiful accents and manage to inflect their words most amusingly - I love Aler's smug 'C'est moi' when he confirms the identity of the handsome young shepherd in his famous aria narrating 'The Choice of Paris'. Similarly, Norman puts a lovely wheedling and very Gallic pout into her voice. Both artists have wonderful voices. Aler's light tenor has all the heady charm associated with the now virtually extinct French tenor typified by Dran and Alain Vanzo: in the ensemble 'Qu'avez-vous fait de son honneur?', he sings superbly and in full voice the roulades by which Offenbach mocks bel canto scales - whereas Dran does the whole thing in falsetto. Nobody can erase memories of Björling's stunning 1938 account (in Swedish!) of the tenor's big number 'Au Mont Ida', but Aler sings it gracefully and easily - and he yodels at Olympic level at the end of Act 3.

Norman's Rolls Royce voice is a very different vehicle from Linda's piping-but-pleasing soubrette and it is a real treat to hear her enwrap Offenbach's exquisite melodies in such sumptuous tone. She sings a glorious, full-voiced top C, majestically leaps the intervals of a ninth in the'Invocation à Vénus' and thoroughly enjoys the diva -esque ornamentation in the absurd 'l'homme à la pomme', but can also lighten her voice when required. Her main trick, however, especially in the dialogue, where she reveals an unexpectedly camp sense of humour, is to play the husky, smoky-voiced vamp, whereas Linda's portrayal is a more conventional, deploying the saccharine charms of a 'cocotte'. Both voice types and characterisations are equally effective in their way.

The supporting cast contains some famous names and they are clearly having a high old time, released from the sombre demands of Grand Opera to whoop it up in Offenbach's wry romp. Plasson's way with the score is more leisured and affectionate than Leibowitz, whose delivery is more pungent and pacier, but the ensembles zip along with zest and vigour. The March of the Kings is hilarious, and even if the Toulouse forces do not have quite the élan of Leibowitz's Parisian orchestra, Plasson's voices are clearly classier. While Leibowitz gives us something more recognisable and perhaps more valuable in its links with a virtually vanished vaudeville tradition, Plasson still knows how to spin the seductive waltz melody in the 'Entr'acte' and makes us newly aware of the cross-fertilisation between the Opéra Comique and Viennese operetta, as in the parallel between the ironic farewells to irksome husbands found at the end of Act 1 and 'O je, O je, wie rührt mich das' in Act 1 of 'Die Fledermaus' (1874).

Strange to think that this satirical treatment of the ancient Greeks by Offenbach and his librettists caused scandal and aroused condemnation by more the high-minded critics; its humour has worn rather well and sits comfortably with our cynical, liberal age. The puns and word-plays ('gaga-memnon') are still witty and edgy - so more's the pity that, despite EMI's invitation to locate and download the libretto from their website, no such thing seems currently available. I hope that is remedied soon, as unless your French is pretty fluent, you really need the words to appreciate fully this splendid recording, which is now a quarter-century old and wearing its years lightly. --- Ralph Moore, MusicWeb International

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1. Act I
2. Act II
3. Act III

Régine Crespin (Soprano)
Alain Vanzo (Tenor)
Jules Bastin (Bass)
Jacques Trigeau (Baritone)
Ine Meister (Mezzo Soprano)
Aimé Besancon (Tenor)
Paul Guigue (Baritone)
Rebecca Roberts (Soprano)
Eva Saurova (Soprano)
Germaine Baudoz (Mezzo Soprano)
Gérard Friedmann (Tenor)

Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra,  Rhine Opera Chorus
Alain Lombard – conductor

Offenbach wrote La Perichole just in his transition from his favorite genres operetta and parodies of Grand Opera, to writing 'serious' opera himself (Les contes d'Hoffman), and this can be heard throughout the score. There's still a lot of easy, lovely, tuneful music, and generous parts of humor, for example the role of Don Andres is a caricature of Napoleon the 3rd . But what's new is the more 'true' characterization of the lover's (Perichole & Piquillo) trouble, of which maybe the farewell (O mon cher amant) from la Perichole to Piquillo is the most 'serious' - yet not missing Offenbach's lovely sense for melody. The changes from 'the old' style to 'the new' style are sometimes abrupt, showing that Offenbach yet wasn't the perfect 'dramatizer' of serious moodes - but that's easily forgotten when listening to the beautiful music, and there's PLENTY of it to be found here, that stretches from ridicolous trios to mournful arias.

Maybe hard to record such an operetta / light french opera? If leaving the above mentioned details about the score aside - this is an excellent recording. All three leading roles are sung in exceptionally stylish french, with it's use of slight portamento and easy, sensual and heady tone. Crespin and Vanzo, the latter one of the most under-recorded lyrical tenors of his time, are as beautifully sounding as any soprano & tenor can get, and their 'acting' is good too. They might sound a little too old for their parts, but that's no great problems since they match eachother very well. Bastin as Don Andres is wonderfully pathetic and warm-sounding. All minor roles are well made as well, especially Besancon and Guige as the two notaries are great fun.

Lombard gives great support to the singers, and oomph to the music. The orchestra is really good and french sounding, the choruses are clearly audible (unfortunately quite rare in opera on record) and the sound quality is superb. The only negative thing to say about the recording is that all dialog has been cut, and the narrator of the original LP-version is also omitted. But sinces the libretto is included and the text that the narrator on the LP read is put in at the right places, it's no great deal to follow the plot.

The lover of Offenbach's operettas won't be disappointed, yet maybe a little surprised, and those of you who's found those operettas a little too light probably also will be positively surprised. Simply great! –Mr JB, amazon.com

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CD 1
  1. Ouverture
  2. Acte 1 : Le Cor Dans La Montagne
  3. Acte 1 : Déjà Depuis Une Grande Heure
  4. Acte 1 : Qui Est Celui Qui Par Les Plaines
  5. Acte 1 : Strette
  6. Acte 1 : Voilà Donc Ce Qu'il Faut
  7. Acte 1 : Au Chapeau Je Porte Une Aigrette
  8. Acte 1 : Eh Bien, Qu'est-Ce Que Vous Avez A Faire Ces Têtes
  9. Acte 1 : Nous Avons Pris Ce Petit Homme
  10. Acte 1 : Est-Ce Que L'on Va Devenir Plus Sage?
  11. Acte 1 : Quand Tu Me Fis L'insigne Honneur
  12. Acte 1 : Eh Voilà Ce Qui Devait Arriver
  13. Acte 1 : Nous Avons Pris Ce Petit Homme
  14. Acte 1 : Fiorella, Tu As Beaucoup Changé
  15. Acte 1 : Après Avoir Pris A Droite
  16. Acte 1 : Eh Bien, Ce Jeune Homme?
  17. Acte 1 : Ce Petit Est Un Vrai Luron
  18. Acte 1 : Il Faut Savoir Ce Qu'il Y A Dans Cette Valise
  19. Acte 1 : Pour Cette Cérémonie

CD 2
  1. Acte 2 : Entracte
  2. Acte 2 : Les Fourneaux Sont Allumés
  3. Acte 2 : Monsieur Pipo
  4. Acte 2 : Soyez Pitoyables
  5. Acte 2 : Lâchez-Moi, Espèce De Voyou!
  6. Acte 2 : Hé! Là! Hé! Là!
  7. Acte 2 : Bravo! C'est Très Bien
  8. Acte 2 : Arrête-Toi Donc, Je T'en Prie
  9. Acte 2 : A Nous, Holà!
  10. Acte 2 : Dissimulons, Dissimulons
  11. Acte 2 : Alors, Nous Avons L'honneur
  12. Acte 2 : Entrez-Là! Genade, Infante Des Espagnes
  13. Acte 2 : Enfin Nous Sommes Arrivés
  14. Acte 2 : Vraiment Je N'en Sais Rien
  15. Acte 2 : Vos Appartements Sont Préparés
  16. Acte 2 : Entrez-Là! Tous Sans Trompettes Ni Tambours
  17. Acte 3 : Entracte
  18. Acte 3 : L'aurore Paraît
  19. Acte 3 : Bravo, Bravo!
  20. Acte 3 : O Mes Amours, O Mes Maîtresses
  21. Acte 3 : Voici Venir La Princesse
  22. Acte 3 : Ainsi, Princesse, Vous Etes De Grenade?
  23. Acte 3 : Coquin, Brigand, Traître

Tibère Raffali (Falsacappa)
Colette Alliot-Lugaz (Fragoletto )
Michel Trempont (Pietro)
Bernard Pisani (Antonio)
Jean-Luc Viallat ( Le Comte de Gloria Cassis)
Francois Le Roux (Baron de campo Tassso)
Thierry Dran (Le Prince)
René Schirrer (Chef des Carabiniers)
Christian Jean (Carmagnola)

Chœur & Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon 
John Eliot Gardiner - conductor

It’s impossible to come away from an Offenbach operetta without a smile on your face, and this work is no exception. While by no means one of his more celebrated works it is a musical delight, gleaming with good humour from start to finish and Gardiner’s performance and this recording do it full justice.

The plot concerns a group of bandits in northern Italy, led by Falsacappa, who have fallen on hard times. In order to gain some ready cash they intervene in the Duke of Mantua’s plans to marry the princess of Granada, passing off Falsacappa’s daughter, Fiorella, as the princess. They are horrified to find that the Mantuan treasury is empty due to administrative embezzlement, but in the end all is forgiven and the Duke’s treasurer arranges a loan to cover everyone’s expenses. Like many of Offenbach’s other operettas the plot satirises certain decadent aspects of Second Empire France which the audience would surely have recognised, such as the governmental incompetence which leads to the empty treasury, or the incompetent Carabinieri who always turn up too late to be of any use. The work is musically more sophisticated than its plot would suggest: in particular the way it pokes fun at figures of authority like the Duke, or the harrumphing music associated with the officers of the law. In contrast, the music for the bandits themselves is consistently light-hearted and fun and quite touching when it comes to the young lovers, Fiorella and Fragoletto. The arrival of the delegation from Granada provides a welcome opportunity for some Spanish colour.

Gardiner’s performance dates from towards the end of his time as director of the Opera de Lyon and, while it may not be as widely loved as his recording of Chabrier’s L’Etoile, it is every bit as successful. There is a wonderful feeling of ensemble about the performance and you very much get the feeling that this was a true company effort without imported superstars. The performers are all extremely well suited to their roles, led by the roguish, throaty tenor of Raffall as Falsacappa. He clearly lives and breathes this music, as do the female leads. Perhaps Ghislaine Raphanel is a little too edgy as his daughter Fiorella, failing to convey the winsome youthfulness of this character. Mezzo Colette Alliot-Lugaz, however, is outstanding in the breeches role of Fragoletto, her dark, fruity tone providing a rich contrast between the two lovers: compare their two entrance arias (CD 1, tracks 7 and 11) to see what I mean. All of the other soloists are excellent, but you don’t come away from this set marvelling at star performances: instead it’s the sense of ensemble that sticks with you. Take, for example, the Act 2 trio (CD 2, track 8) where the voices blend with each other as if they’ve been doing this sort of thing for their whole lives. Marvellous! The chorus work is fantastic too, be they roguish bandits or incompetent Carabinieri, and the finales of each act, where each of these elements comes together, are quite splendid. Unsurprisingly in view of their conductor, the orchestra plays with transparency and clarity which really opens up the textures, nowhere more strikingly than in the clipped, bright opening. Recorded sound is EMI’s best, clear and immediate.

All of this is shaping up, then, for a top recommendation, but EMI fall down badly in the presentation of this set. It’s a budget double re-release so, unsurprisingly, there are no texts or translations. Contextual notes are provided but the synopsis included is ridiculously brief and really will not do for the listener who wants to follow the work in any level of detail. The CD sleeve claims that the libretto can be found on EMI’s website, but I searched long and hard and couldn’t find it anywhere. EMI need to set this right in order for this set to have the widespread appeal it so clearly deserves. ---Simon Thompson, musicweb-international.com

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Disc: 1
1. Prologue. Glou! glou! glou! je suis le vin!
2. Prologue. Dans les rôles d'amoureux langoureux
3. Prologue. Allons, allons mes enfants! Préparez cette salle
4. Prologue. Eh! Luther! Ma grosse tonne
5. Prologue. Il était une fois à la cour d'Eisenach
6. Prologue. Peuh! cette biÃ..re est détestable!
7. Prologue. Et par où votre diablerie
8. Prologue. Entr'acte
9. Act 1. Allons! Courage et confiance
10. Act 1. Pardieu! J'étais bien sûr de te trouver ici!
11. Act 1. J'ai des yeux, de vrais yeux
12. Act 1. Non, aucun hôte, vraiment
13. Act 1. Les oiseaux dans la charmille
14. Act 1. Ils se sont éloignés enfin!
15. Act 1. Tu me fuis? qu'ai-je fait?
16. Act 1. Voici les valseurs!
17. Act 2. Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour
18. Act 2. Amis! l'Amour tendre et rêveur
19. Act 2. Au jeu, au jeu, messieurs!

Disc: 2
1. Act 2. Scintille, diamant
2. Act 2. A nous trois, mes maîtres!
3. Act 2. Malheureux, tu ne comprends donc pas
4. Act 2. Que vais-je faire? Quel est ce breuvage?
5. Act 3. Elle a fui, la touterelle
6. Act 3. Jour et nuit je me mets en quatre
7. Act 3. C'est une chanson d'amour qui s'envole
8. Act 3. Que veux-tu faire?
9. Act 3. Tu ne chanteras plus... sais-tu quel sacrifice
10. Act 3. Intermède-Entr'acte
11. Epilogue. Voilà, mes amis, quelle fut l'histoire de mes trois amours
12. Epilogue. Messieurs, le souper est servi!
13. Epilogue. Et moi? Moi, la fidèle amie
14. Epilogue. Adieu! Je ne veux pas te suivre
15. Epilogue. Jusqu'au matin remplis, remplis, mon verre!

Plácido Domingo (tenor)  Hoffmann
Dame Joan Sutherland (soprano) Olympia, Giulietta, Antonia, Stella
Gabriel Bacquier (baritone) Lindorf, Coppélius, Dapertutto, Dr Miracle
Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo-soprano) La Muse, Nicklausse 
Jacques Charon (tenor) Spalanzani
Hugues Cuénod (tenor) Andrès, Cochenille, Pitichinaccio, Frantz 
André Neury (baritone) Schlemil 
Paul Plishka (bass) Crespel
Margarita Lilowa (mezzo-soprano) Voice of Antonia’s Mother
Roland Jacques (baritone) Luther

Lausanne Pro Arte Chorus,  Du Brassure Chorus,  Suisse Romande orchestra
Richard Bonynge - conductor

This is the first of many recordings that attempts to return this opera--which the composer left unfinished at his death--to something more in line with what he envisioned. While it may work in the theater, it seems fitful on record, particularly with spoken dialogue. The cast, with Plácido Domingo in the title role and Joan Sutherland playing all three heroines in the flashbacks, has long made this recording a first-choice Hoffmann among some critics. But Domingo lacks the ideal vocal elegance, and having three different personalities as the heroines can be much more interesting. This recording does have some famous French character singers in its favor--Hugues Cuénod and Gabriel Bacquier--but this may be mostly for Sutherland fans. ---David Patrick Stearns, amazon.com

Plácido Domingo ten Hoffmann; Dame Joan Sutherland sop Olympia, Giulietta, Antonia, Stella; Gabriel Bacquier bar Lindorf, Coppélius, Dapertutto, Dr Miracle; Huguette Tourangeau mez La Muse, Nicklausse; Jacques Charon ten Spalanzani; Hugues Cuénod ten Andrès, Cochenille, Pitichinaccio, Frantz; André Neury bar Schlemil; Paul Plishka bass Crespel; Margarita Lilowa mez Voice of Antonia’s Mother; Roland Jacques bar Luther

This is a wonderfully refreshing set. The story emerges crystal-clear, even the black ending to the Giulietta scene in Venice, which in Bonynge’s text restores the original idea of the heroine dying from a draught of poison, while the dwarf Pitichinaccio shrieks in delight. One also has to applaud his rather more controversial decision to put the Giulietta scene in the middle and leave the dramatically weighty Antonia scene till last. That also makes the role of Stella the more significant, giving extra point to the decision to have the same singer take all four heroine roles. With Dame Joan available it was a natural decision, and though in spoken dialogue she’s less comfortable in the Giulietta scene than the rest, the contrasting portraits in each scene are all very convincing, with the voice brilliant in the Doll scene, warmly sensuous in the Giulietta scene and powerfully dramatic as well as tender in the Antonia scene. Gabriel Bacquier gives sharply intense performances, firm and dark vocally, in the four villain roles, Hugues Cuénod contributes delightful vignettes in the four comprimario tenor roles, while Domingo establishes at the very start the distinctive bite in his portrait of Hoffmann; a powerful and a perceptive interpretation. The recording is vivid, and the listener is treated to some first-class playing from the Suisse Romande Orchestra. ---gramophone.co.uk

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Disc: 1
1. Ov - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
2. Act 1, No.1 Choeur Des Bergers Et Scene Du Conseil Municipal: 'Voici La Douzieme Heure...'
 - Hugues Brambilla/Jane Rhodes/Choeurs Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
3. Act 1, No.2 Couplets Du Berger Joli: La Femme Dont Le Coeur Reve' - Mady Mesple
4. Act 1, No.2 Dialogue: 'Que Vois-Je?' - Michel Senechal/Mady Mesple
5. Act 1, No.3 Duo Du Con: 'Ah! C'est Ainsi!' - Mady Mesple/Michel Senechal
6. Act 1, No.3 Dialogue: 'La Bonne Heure...' - Mady Mesple/Michel Senechal
7. Act 1, No.4 Ballet Pastoral - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
8. Act 1, No.5 Chanson D'Aristee: 'Moi, Je Suis Aristee...Voir Voltiger...: - Charles Burles
9. Act 1, No.5 Sortie Des Bergers/Dialogue: 'Voici La Tendre Eurydice!' - Charles Burles/Mady Mesple
10. Act 1, No.5 Melodrame/Dialogue: 'Aie!' - Mady Mesple/Charles Burles
11. Act 1, No.6 Invocation A La Mort: 'La Mort M'Apparait...' - Mady Mesple
12. Act 1, No.6 Dialogue/Melodrame/Dialogue: 'Ca Ya Yest!' - Charles Burles/Mady Mesple/Michel Senechal
13. Act 1, No.7 Final: 'Libre! O Bonheur!' 
- Michel Senechal/Jane Rhodes/Choeurs Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
14. Act 2, No.8 Entracte Et Choeur Du Sommeil - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
15. Act 2, No.9 Couplets: 'Je Suit Venus!' 
- Michele Command/Jane Berbie/Jean-Philippe Lafont/Choeurs Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
16. Act 2, No.10 Divertissement Des Songes Et Des Heures: 'Tzing, Tzing, Tzing...' 
- Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Senechal
17. Act 2, No.11 Reveil Des Dieux Et Couplets De Diane/ Dialogue: Par Saturne!'/'Ce Qu'il Est Devenu... 
- Michel Trempont/Michele Command/Michele Pena/Daniele Castaing/Chor Du Capitole De Toulouse...

Disc: 2
1. Act 2, No.12 Rondo Saltarelle De Mercure: 'Eh Hop! Eh Hop!' - Andre Mallabrera/Danielle Castaing/Michel Trempont
2. Act 2, No.12 Dialogue: 'Salut Au Puissant Maitre Des Dieux...' - Andre Mallabrera/Michel Trempont/Danielle Castaing
3. Act 2, No.12 Entree De Pluton - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
4. Act 2, No.13 Air En Prose De Pluton: 'Comme Il Me Regarde!' - Charles Burles
5. Act 2, No.13 Dialogue: 'Laissons Cela!' - Michel Trempont/Charles Burles
6. Act 2, No.14 Choeur De La Revolte: 'Auz Armes, Dieux Et Demi-Dieux!' 
- Michele Pena/Michele Command/Jane Berbie/Charles Burles/Michel Trempont
7. Act 2, No.14 Dialogue: 'Silence, Ou Je Tonne...' 
- Michel Trempont/Charles Burles/Michele Pena/Daniele Castaing/Michele Command/Jane Berbie
8. Act 2, No.15 Rondeau Des Metamorphoses: 'Pour Seduire Alcmene...' 
- Michele Pena/Michele Command/Jane Berbie/Choeurs Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
9. Act 2, No.15 Dialogue: Seigneurs, Deux Etrangers Sont La...' - Andre Mallabrera/Michel Trempont/Charles Burles
10. Act 2, No.16 Grand Final/Scene/Ensemble/Choeur Et Marche: 'Il Approache! Il S'Avanche 
- Charles Burles/Michel Senechal/Michel Trempont/Andre Mallabrera/Jane Berbie/Michele Pena
11. Act 2, No.17 Entracte - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
12. Act 3, No.18 Couplets Des Regrets: 'Ah! Quelle Triste Destinee...' - Mady Mesple
13. Act 3, No.18 Dialogue: 'Voila 2 Jours Que Je Suis Seule...' - Mady Mesple/Bruce Brewer
14. Act 3, No.19 Couplets Du Roi De Beotie: 'Quand J'Etais Eoi De Beotie...' - Bruce Brewer
15. Act 3, No.19 Dialogue/Melodrame: 'Voyez-Vous, Il Est Une Chose...' 
- Bruce Brewer/Mady Mesple/Charles Burles/Michel Trempont
16. Act 3, No.20 Septuor Du Tribunal: 'Minos Eaque Et Rhadamante...' 
- Jean-Claude Bonnafous/Roger Trentin/Henry Amiel/Charles Burles/Michel Trempont/Bruce Brewer...
17. Act 3, No.20 Dialogue/Melodrame: 'La Seance Est Ouverte!' 
- Jean-Claude Bonnafous/Henry Amiel/Roger Trentin/Charles Burles/Andre Valdeneige/Michel Trempont...
18. Act 3, No.21 Ronde Des Policemen: 'Nez Au Vent, Oeil Au Gent...' - Choeurs Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
19. Act 3, No.22 Recit Et Couplets Des Baisers: 'Allons, Mes Fins Limiers, Visitez Et Fouillez! 
- Jane Berbie/Michel Trempont/Jacqueline Valliere/Choeurs Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
20. Act 3, No.22 Dialogue: 'La Porte Est La!' - Jacqueline Valliere/Michel Trempont/Jane Berbie
21. Act 3, No.23 Petite Ronde Du Bourdon: 'La Beau Boudon Que Voila...' 
- Jacqueline Valliere/Choeurs Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
22. Act 3, No.24 Duo De La Mouche: Il M' A Semble Sur Mon Epaule...' - Mady Mesple/Michel Trempont
23. Act 3, No.24 Dialogue: 'Ah, Je Savais Bien...' - Mady Mesple/Michel Trempont/Chalres Burles
24. Act 3, No.25 Scene Des Mouches: 'Si J'Etais Roi De Beotie...' - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
25. Act 3, No.25 Dialogue: 'La Mouche!...' - Charles Burles/Jane Berbie
26. Act 3, No.25 Galop - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
27. Act 4, No.26 Choeur Infernal: 'Vive Le Vin! Vive Pluton!' 
- Jane Berbie/Choeurs Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
28. Act 4, No.27 Hymne A Bacchus: 'J'ai Vu Le Dieu Bacchus...' - Mady Mesple/Michele Pena/Jane Berbie/Charles Burles
29. Act 4, No.28 Menuet Et Galop Infernal: Maintenant, Je Veux, Moi Qui Suis Mince Et Fluet...' 
- Michel Trempont/Michele Pena/Charles Burles/Mady Mesple/Jane Rhodes/Hugues Brambilla...
30. Act 4, No.28 Dialogue: 'Et Maintenant, Fuyons, Jupitor...' - Mady Mesple/Michel Trempont/Charles Burles/Jane Berbie
31. Act 4, No.29 Melodrame: 'Elle Est Assez Bonne!' 
- Michel Trempont/Charles Burles/Mady Mesple/Michel Senechal/Jane Rhodes/Hugues Brambilla...
32. Act 4, No.30 Final: 'Ne Regards Pas En Arriere!...' 
- Jane Rhodes/Michel Trempont/Michel Senechal/Charles Burles/Mady Mesple

Jane Rhodes (Soprano)
Jane Berbié (Mezzo Soprano)
Charles Burles (Tenor)
Henri Amiel (Baritone)
Michel Sénéchal (Tenor)
Michel Trempont (Baritone),
Hugues Brambilla (Tenor)
Michèle Command (Soprano)
Jean-Philippe Lafont (Baritone),
Mady Mesplé (Soprano)
Michele Pena (Soprano)
Daniele Castaing (Soprano),
André Mallabrera (Tenor)
Bruce Brewer (Tenor)
Roger Trentin (Tenor)
Jean-Claude Bonnafous (Tenor)

Toulouse Capitole Orchestra
Toulouse Capitole Chorus
Michel Plasson – conductor

Offenbach's theater license, granted in 1855, limited his stage works to one act and three performers. Three years later, authorities lifted these restrictions, enabling Offenbach to forge his most enduring creations, the first of which was Orphée aux enfers. It is one of numerous of Offenbach's works that are satires of familiar tales.

Ludovic Halévy (1799-1862) drafted a libretto on the Orpheus legend early in 1858, but its size placed it outside the limits set up by Offenbach's license. When the restrictions were lifted, Offenbach prompted Halévy and Hector Crémieux (1828-1892) to complete the libretto. Orphée aux enfers was Offenbach's first two-act work and would become the archetypical French operetta. Orphée and Euridyce were the first operetta hero and heroine and the chorus became in integral part of the action and music. The reception of the first performance on October 21, 1858, at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, was mediocre, although a few critics were genuinely impressed with the new work. Dissatisfied, Offenbach began to make cuts to the score, but this failed to bring people to the theater in great numbers. Vital publicity came about in early 1859 when a critic, Jules Janin, wrote desparagingly of Orphée aux enfers, calling it a "profanation of holy and glorious antiquity." Offenbach, in a public reply, noted that one of Pluto's numbers was derived from Janin's writings, a revelation that piqued the interest of the Parisian public and made the show a hit. After 228 performances Orphée aux enfers was withdrawn, not due to lack of ticket sales, but merely to give the performers a rest. The piece returned to the stage a few weeks later. For the Vienna production of 1860 Carl Binder provided an overture, which has become the standard, and famous, overture.

Halévy and Crémieux and Offenbach's thinly veiled caricatures of contemporary political and cultural figures and ideals fueled the success of Orphée aux enfers. The lustful Jupiter was easily interpreted as the womanizing Emperor Napoleon III; Orphée as a restless, bored bourgeois; and Eurydice's song to Bacchus and the wild cancans parallel the middle and upper classes' hedonistic predilections. Of course, Offenbach's music was ultimately responsible of the poplarity of Orphée. The composer parodies contemporary sentimental ballads in Orphée's violin solo and borrows Gluck's "Che farò" (from Orfeo ed Euridice) and the Marseillaise. Amusing incongruities, such as having the gods dance a cancan, pepper the score. Offenbach parodies elements of grand opera in the silly, bawdy duo de la Mouche (Fly duet) in Act Two. The finales are the high points of the operetta and feature increasing speed and intensity that lead to a climax. For example, the first act begins very quietly with Orphée and Eurydice alone, but ends in a very fast tempo with all the gods performing a galop and leaving the stage. ---John Palmer, Rovi

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