Ciboulette
Ciboulette is a French opérette in three acts, music by Reynaldo Hahn, libretto by Robert de Flers and Francis de Croisset, first performed at the Théâtre des Variétés, in Paris, on 7 April 1923. One of the most elegant and refined composition of Hahn, considered as one of the last masterpieces of French operetta.
Principal roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 7 April 1923 (Conductor: Paul Letombe) |
|---|---|---|
| Ciboulette | soprano | Edmée Favart |
| Zénobie | soprano | Jeanne Pierrat |
| Madame Pingret | bass-baritone | Madeleine Guitty |
| Madame Grenu | soprano | Jeanne Loury |
| Duparquet | baritone | Jean Périer |
| Antonin | tenor | Henry Defreyn |
| Roger | baritone | Jean Calain |
| Olivier Métra | baritone | René Koval |
| Comtesse de Castiglione | soprano | Luce Fabiole |
| Chorus: Officers, courtesans, market workers, farmers, eight fiancés, Olivier Métra's guests | ||
Synopsis
The action takes place in Paris, in 1867.
Duparquet is the controller of Les Halles, and plays matchmaker between the young farm-girl Ciboulette and Antonin, a young spoiled aristocrat. After many adventures, the lovers are united.
Discography
- Ciboulette (abridged) - Géori Boué, Roger Bourdin, Raymond Amadé - Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Marcel Cariven - Pathé (1952).
- Ciboulette (abridged) - Andrée Grandjean, Willy Clément, Michel Hamel, Françoise Ogéas - Chorus and Orchestra of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paul Bonneau - Ducretet-Thomson (1955).
- Ciboulette - Mady Mesplé, José van Dam, Nicolai Gedda, Colette Alliot-Lugaz - Ensemble Choral Jean Laforge, Orchestre Philarmonique de Monte-Carlo, Cyril Diederich - EMI (1983).
Adaptations
French director Claude Autant-Lara made the operetta into the film Ciboulette in 1933.
Sources
- Le guide de l'opéra, R. Mancini & J.J. Rouvereux, (Fayard, 1986) ISBN 2-213-01563-5
