FULL La Fille de Madame Angot (Lecocq) TV-Opera Paris 1956 Georges Lemaire, Raymond Amade, Madeleine Vernon, Marguerite Legouhy

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: La Fille de Madame Angot  
• Composer: Lecocq Charles  
• Libretto: Clairville, Paul Siraudin, Victor Koning    Libretto Text, Libretto Index
• Venue & Opera Company: TV-Studio, Paris, France  
• Recorded: 1956
• Type: Staged Opera Live
• Singers: Georges Lemaire, Raymond Amade, Madeleine Vernon, Marguerite Legouhy, Willy Clément, Henri Bedex, Jean Marcovitch, Irène Gromova, Serge Rallier
• Conductor: Georges Dervaux  
• Orchestra:
• Stage Director: Henri Spade  
• Stage Designer: Jacques Durix  
• Costume Designer: Claude Catulle  

Information about the Recording

• Published by: Radiodiffusion Télévision Française  
• Date Published: 1956  
• Format: Broadcast
• Quality Video: 3 Audio:3
• Subtitles: nosubs  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

La fille de Madame Angot (French pronunciation: [la fij də madam ɑ̃ɡo], Madame Angot’s Daughter) is an opéra comique in three acts by Charles Lecocq with words by Clairville, Paul Siraudin and Victor Koning. It was premiered in Brussels in December 1872 and soon became a success in Paris, London, New York and across continental Europe. Along with Robert Planquette’s Les cloches de Corneville, La fille de Madame Angot was the most successful work of the French-language musical theatre in the last three decades of the 19th century, and outperformed other noted international hits such as H.M.S. Pinafore and Die Fledermaus.

The opera depicts the romantic exploits of Clairette, a young Parisian florist, engaged to one man but in love with another, and up against a richer and more powerful rival for the latter’s attentions. Unlike some more risqué French comic operas of the era, the plot of La fille de Madame Angot proved exportable to more strait-laced countries without the need for extensive rewriting, and Lecocq’s score was received with enthusiasm wherever it was played.

Although few other works by Lecocq have remained in the general operatic repertory, La fille de Madame Angot is still revived from time to time.

Synopsis

Act 1
The scene of the opera is Directoire Paris, 1794; the Reign of Terror is over, but Paris is still a dangerous place for opponents of the government. The heroine is a charming young florist called Clairette. She is the daughter of Madame Angot, a former market woman of Les Halles, who was famous for her beauty, her amorous adventures and her sharp tongue. She died when Clairette was three, and the child was brought up by multiple adoptive parents from Les Halles, and given a fine education at a prestigious school.

A marriage with Pomponnet, a sweet and gentle hairdresser, has been arranged for her against her wishes, for she is in love with Ange Pitou, a dashing poet and political activist, who is continually in trouble with the authorities. His latest song lyric, “Jadis les rois”, satirises the relations between Mlle. Lange – an actress and the mistress of Barras – and Barras’s supposed friend Larivaudière. The latter has paid Pitou to suppress the song but Clairette gets hold it and, to avoid her marriage with Pomponnet, sings it publicly and is, as she expects, arrested so that her wedding is unavoidably postponed.

illustration showing two young women in early 19th century costume
Marie Desclauzas and Paola Marié in the 1873 Paris production
Act 2
Lange summons the girl to learn the reason for her attack and is surprised to recognise her as an old schoolfriend. Pomponnet loudly protests Clairette’s innocence and says that Ange Pitou is the author of the verses. Lange already knows of Pitou and is not unmindful of his charms. He has been invited to her presence and arrives while Clairette is there and the interview is marked with more than cordiality. The jealous Larivaudière appears meanwhile and, to clear herself, Lange declares that Pitou and Clairette are lovers and have come to the house to join in a meeting of anti-government conspirators to be held at midnight. Clairette discovers that she does not enjoy a monopoly of Pitou’s affections, and that he is dallying with Lange.

The conspirators arrive in due time, but in the middle of proceedings, the house is surrounded by Hussars; Lange hides the badges of the conspirators, “collars black and tawny wigs”, and the affair takes on the appearance of nothing more dangerous than a ball. The Hussars join gaily in the dance.

Act 3
To avenge herself, Clairette invites all of Les Halles to a ball, to which she lures Lange and Pitou by writing each a forged letter, seemingly signed by the other. At the ball Pitou and Lange are unmasked, Larivaudière is enraged, but realises he must hush matters up to save Barras from scandal. After a lively duet in which the two young women quarrel vigorously there is a general mêlée, ended by Clairette who extends a hand to her friend and declares that she truly prefers the faithful Pomponnet to the fickle Pitou. Remembering Madame Angot’s amorous flights, Pitou remains hopeful that Clairette will take after her mother and may one day be interested in him again.

Quoted from Wikipedia

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