La Périchole

"La Périchole" is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French-language libretto after the 1829 "novella" "Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement" by Prosper Mérimée.

"La Périchole"'s title character is based on Micaela Villegas (1748-1819), a beloved Peruvian entertainer and the famous mistress of Manuel de Amat y Juniet, Viceroy of Peru from 1761 to 1776. The name "La Périchole" is a French adaptation of a Spanish-language epithet by which Amat referred to Villegas: "La Perricholi" (the word might derive from either a combination of the words "perra", "bitch," and "cholo", "of mixed blood")or from the term of endearment "petita chola" which means, in catala, his mother tongue, "little chola"

The story concerns two impoverished Peruvian street-singers, too poor to afford a marriage license, and a lecherous viceroy, Don Andrès de Ribeira, who wishes to make La Périchole his mistress. Highlights include La Périchole's letter song, "O mon cher amant"; her "tipsy" aria, "Ah! quel dîner!"; and her third-act aria to Piquillo, "Tu n'es pas beau, tu n'es pas riche"."

Performance history

Early productions

The work premiered, in a two-act version, on October 6 1868, at the Théâtre des Variétés, Paris, with Hortense Schneider in the title role and José Dupuis as Piquillo. The three-act version premiered at the same theater on April 25, 1874, again starring Schneider and Dupuis. It was first seen in Brussels on December 5, 1868, New York at Pike's Opera House on January 4, 1869, Vienna on January 9, 1869, Stockholm on February 6, 1869, and London on 27 June 1870 at the Princess's Theatre, with south American premieres in Rio de Janeiro in 1869 and Buenos Aires in 1870. [La Périchole. L'Avant-Scèene Opéra No 66, August 1984.] It also had a run in New York City at the Grand Opera House beginning on January 18 1871. [http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=441496]

"La Périchole" played a part in the development of English comic opera when, on March 25 1875 at the Royalty Theatre in London, it played (in English) on a triple bill with Charles Collette's one-act farce "Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata" and W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's "Trial by Jury". "Trial" became a big hit and launched the famous Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration. [La Périchole. L'Avant-Scèene Opéra No 66, August 1984.]

The Metropolitan Opera productions

On December 21 1956, the Metropolitan Opera premiered a production of "La Périchole" that used a new musical version that included several interpolations from other scores, turning the speaking role of the Old Prisoner into a singing role for a comic tenor. [The Met's version was prepared by Jean Morel and Ignace Strasfogel, with orchestration revised and adapted by Julius Burger. Morel, a veteran of the Opéra Comique, made his Metropolitan debut as conductor with this production. Maurice Valency provided the English translation of the libretto.] The production was directed by Cyril Ritchard and starred Patrice Munsel in the title role, Theodor Uppman as Paquillo, and Ritchard himself as Andres. It ran for 21 performances during its first season. Munsel sang a total of 21 performances as La Périchole with the Met, including her farewell performance on January 28, 1958. Other notable exponents of the role were Teresa Stratas (16 performances), and Anna Moffo (three performances). Uppman appeared as Paquillo in all 54 performances of this production from its 1956 premiere through the last Met performance in Detroit on May 27, 1971. That performance also marked Ritchard’s Met farewell; he had sung the role of Andres in 49 of the 54 performances.

In the Metropolitan Opera production, the voicing for La Perichole was changed from a mezzo-soprano to a coloratura soprano. The role of Piquillo was also re-voice from a tenor to a high baritone (or it still could be performed by a tenor).

Roles

ynopsis

:Place: Lima, Peru

Act 1

"The Plaza"

In the main square of Lima, outside "The Three Cousins" cabaret, the crowd is celebrating the birthday of Don Andrès de Ribeira, the Viceroy of Peru. Don Pedro de Hinoyosa (Mayor of Lima), Count Miguel de Panatellas (First Gentleman of the Bedchamber), and Don Andres enter in disguise. Everyone recognizes them but pretends not to. La Périchole and Piquillo, poor street singers, enter the square, trying to raise money for their marriage license. They please the crowd with romantic duets, but the acrobats entice the crowd away before they can collect any money. Piquillo sets off, hoping for better luck elsewhere while Périchole escapes hunger in sleep. The Viceroy, enchanted with her beauty, offers her a position as Lady in Waiting at the court. Persuaded by his offer of banquets, Périchole accepts and writes a loving farewell letter to Piquillo. Since all Ladies in Waiting must be married, Don Pedro and Panatellas leave to search for a husband for Périchole. They find Piquillo, who is about to hang himself after reading Périchole’s farewell letter. After plenty to drink, Piquillo agrees to marry the Viceroy’s new favorite. Périchole has also had too much to drink, but agrees to the marriage when she recognizes Piquillo. He does not recognize his veiled bride, but goes through with the marriage after warning her that he is in love with someone else.

Act 2

"The Palace"

The next morning, four ladies of the court gossip with the Marquis de Tarapote, Chamberlain of the Viceroy, about the Viceroy’s new favorite. Piquillo enters and is astonished to find that he is married to an unknown woman, the new mistress of the Viceroy. He demands his payment so that he can go in search of Périchole, but is told he must present his new wife to the Viceroy first. When Périchole appears, resplendent in her new court finery, Piquillo is crushed and throws her to the floor in front of the Viceroy instead of formally presenting her. Don Andres orders him to the dungeon for recalcitrant husbands.

Act 3

"Scene 1: The Dungeon"

In the dark and gloomy dungeon, an old prisoner enters through a trap door. After digging through the wall of his cell for twelve years with his handy pen knife, he has finally emerged, unfortunately into another cell. He retreats to his cell when Don Pedro and Panatellas bring Piquillo in. Piquillo mourns the loss of both his lover and his freedom and eventually falls asleep. Périchole enters and tells Piquillo that she has remained true to him and they renew their vows. Périchole tries to buy Piquillo’s freedom with jewels the Viceroy has given her, but the jailor is the Viceroy in disguise. He calls the guards, and the lovers are chained to the dungeon wall. But the Viceroy still has hopes of winning Périchole, and tells her to sing if she changes her mind. The old prisoner releases them from the chains and Périchole sings. When the Viceroy enters, the three prisoners chain him to the wall and escape.

"Scene 2: The Plaza"

The three escaped prisoners hide in "The Three Cousins" cabaret as the Viceroy and his soldiers search for them in the plaza. Périchole and Piquillo plead for their freedom with a ballad that flatters the Viceroy. He forgives the couple and allows Périchole to keep the jewels he has given her. Meanwhile, the old prisoner has turned out to be the long lost Marquis of Santarem. The Viceroy is happy to pardon him as well, rather than send him back to destroy more walls in prison.

elected recordings

* S Galiemba, G Poliakov, V Kandielaki, S Tsienine, V Fiedossov. National Musical Theatre of Moscow, cond. A Alevladov & A Akoulov. Melodia.
* Patricia Munsel, Theodor Uppman, Cyril Ritchard, P Franke, R Herbert. Metropolitan Opera New York, cond. Jean Morel. RCA.
* Suzanne Lafaye, Raymond Amade, Louis Noguéra, Jean-Christophe Benoit, Choeurs René Duclos, Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, cond. Igor Markevitch. EMI.
* Régine Crespin, Alain Vanzo, Jules Bastin, Gerard Friedmann, Jacques Trigeau, Aime Besancon, Paul Guigue, Rebecca Roberts, Eva Saurova, Germaine Baudoz, Ine Meister. Opéra du Rhin Chorus, Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Alain Lombard. Erato.
* Teresa Berganza, José Carreras, Gabriel Bacquier, Choeur et Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, cond. Michel Plasson. EMI.
* Maria Ewing, Neil Rosenshein, Gabriel Bacquier, Paolo Martinelli, Ricardo Cassinelli. Choeur de Grand-Theatre, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, cond. Marc Soustrot. Gala.

* Jennie Tourel. "Airs from "La Périchole" and other pieces" (Offenbach, Ravel, Berlioz). Pearl.

Notes

External links

*http://www.boosey.com/downloads/Perichole_frz.pdf Libretto submitted for censorship, Paris 1868
*http://www.boosey.com/downloads/Perichole_dt.pdf German libretto submitted for censorship, Vienna 1868
* [http://www.geocities.com/jrpsong/per.html A plot synopsis]
* [http://www.opera-opera.com.au/ploto.htm Plot summaries to several Offenbach operettas]
* [http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm MetOpera database] listing of performances of "La Périchole"

ource

Lamb, Andrew,"La Périchole", "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera", ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7