La Perichole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tTP3f_WKa8
La Périchole (French
pronunciation: [la peʁikɔl]) is an opéra
bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
wrote the French-language libretto based on the 1829 one act play Le carrosse
du Saint-Sacrement by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived on 13 March 1850 at
the Théâtre-Français.
Le Carrosse du
Saint-Sacrement est une comédie en un acte de Prosper Mérimée, publiée pour la
première fois dans la Revue de Paris en juin 1829 et ajoutée à la seconde
édition du Théâtre de Clara Gazul en 1830.
Inspirée du
personnage historique de Micaela Villegas dite « la perra chola », une célèbre
comédienne péruvienne du XVIIe siècle, la pièce fut créée au Théâtre-Français
sous le titre Le Carrosse le 13 mars 1850 avec Augustine Brohan dans le rôle de
Camila Périchole.
Maria Micaela
Villegas Hurtado (September 28, 1748—May 16, 1819), known as La Perricholi, was
arguably the most famous Peruvian woman of the eighteenth century. She was a
celebrated entertainer and the famous mistress of Manuel de Amat y Juniet,
Viceroy of Peru
from 1761 to 1776.
Felipe Manuel
Cayetano de Amat y de Junient (Catalan: Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent) (March 1707
– February 14, 1782) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator.
He was the Royal Governor of the Captaincy General of Chile from December 28, 1755 to September 9,
1761, and Viceroy of Peru
from October 12, 1761 to July 17, 1776.
Their son, Manuel de
Amat y Villegas, was one of the signers of Peru’s
declaration of independence from Spain on July 28, 1821.
La Perricholi was the
sixth child born to Don José Villegas and Doña Teresa Hurtado de Mendoza. Born
in either Tomayquichua, in the province of Huanuco or the capital city of Lima, she was baptized at the Lima Cathedral on December 1, 1748.
She debuted on the
stage of Coliseo de Comedias in 1763 and became a popular star within romance
and comedy. She retired in 1788, and married in 1795.
Offenbach was
probably aware of this production, as he conducted the orchestra of the
Comédie-Française from around this time. Another theatrical creation that
pre-dates Offenbach's
opéra bouffe and may have influenced the piece is a farce by Desforges and
Théaulon given on 21 October 1835 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal.
La Périchole's title
character is based on Micaela Villegas, a beloved 18th century Peruvian
entertainer and the famous mistress of Manuel de Amat y Juniet, Viceroy of Peru from 1761
to 1776. 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.
The score is in what
Andrew Lamb calls Offenbach's
"most charming", rather than satirical style, with boleros,
seguidillas and galops to provide the exotic backdrop. Highlights include La
Périchole's letter song, O mon cher amant; her "tipsy" aria, Ah! quel
dîner!; and (for the 1874 revision) her third-act aria to Piquillo, Tu n'es pas
beau, tu n'es pas riche, Offenbach's
last major song for Hortense Schneider
Hortense Catherine
Schneider, La Snédèr, (30 April 1833 – 6 May 1920) was a French soprano, one of
the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with
the works of composer Jacques Offenbach.
Born in Bordeaux, where she
studied with Schaffner, she made her debut in Agen in 1853, as Inés in La
favorite.
She came to Paris and was turned down
by the director of the Théâtre des Variétés but was noticed by Jacques
Offenbach who invited her to the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, where she made
her debut in 1855 in Le violoneux. She enjoyed immediate success and created
for Offenbach
the role of Boulotte in Barbe-bleue and the title roles in La belle Hélène, La
Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein and La Périchole, all resounding triumphs. She also
appeared in London and Saint Petersburg, to great acclaim.
An accomplished
singer and actress, she was much admired for her brio and verve on stage, was
the toast of the Second Empire and a favourite of royal visitors to Paris. La Snédèr was
reputedly one of King Edward VII's mistresses,because of the favours which she
liberally granted to the members of the nobility, she was known as Le Passage
des Princes. She retired in 1878, after her marriage, and died in Paris over forty years
later at age 87.
Schneider was the
subject of the 1950 film La valse de Paris by Marcel Achar
FRANCO-AMERICAN VOCAL
ACADEMY
F A V A, 2012. in Texas
http://favaopera.org/texas_performances.html