FULL Pomme d’Api & Pépito (Offenbach) Zurich 2022 Julia Schiwowa, Susannah Haberfeld, Christoph Waltle, Erich Bieri
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: Pomme d'Api
- Composer: Offenbach Jacques
- Libretto: Ludovic Halévy, William Busnach Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Theater im Seefeld, Zürich, Switzerland
- Recorded: January 2022
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Julia Schiwowa, Susannah Haberfeld, Christoph Waltle, Erich Bieri
- Conductor: Robbert van Steijn
- Orchestra: Orchester der Zürcher Kammeroper
- Stage Director: Paul Suter
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: Zürcher Kammeroper
- Date Published: 2022
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
Pomme d’api is a one-act opérette of 1873 by Jacques Offenbach with a French libretto by Ludovic Halévy and William Busnach.
Background
Offenbach had heard Louise Théo singing in café-concert in Paris and although her voice was unremarkable, her stage presence made him decide to centre his next stage work around her. Run-throughs of the opera took place during the summer of 1873 at the ‘Villa Orphée’ home in Étretat which Offenbach had built and furnished with the royalties from Orphée aux Enfers. Théo’s success in Pomme d’api stimulated Offenbach to create a full-length work around her for the Renaissance. In seven weeks he composed La jolie parfumeuse, which, as with the one-act piece, perfectly suited her talent.
Performance history
The première was on 4 September 1873 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris, on the same bill as La permission de dix heures. On 20 April 1874 Pomme d’api was seen at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens on a bill with Les rendez-vous bourgeois and La chanson de Fortunio and ran for 60 performances. In 1877 it was staged at the Theater an der Wien. It was not seen in Paris until 1900 when 60 performances were given at the Bouffes-Parisiens. Seven separate broadcast recordings were made by the French national broadcasting between 1945 and 1974.
A revival (in a triple bill with M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le . . . and Mesdames de la Halle) was mounted at the Paris Opéra-Comique in 1979 (with revivals in 1980 and 1983) and recorded in the Salle Garnier, Monte Carlo in September 1982, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal. The piece was seen in Bologna and Jesi in 2010.
Pépito is a one act opéra comique of 1853 with music by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto is by Léon Battu and Jules Moinaux, inspired by an 1825 vaudeville by Scribe.
Offenbach was director of music at the Comédie Française in the early 1850s, but desperate to gain recognition as a stage composer. He spent the summer of 1853 in Cologne with some of his family there to build his strength for battles ahead to win commissions and performances. Originally intended to be entitled Vertigo, Pépito received its premiere at the Théâtre des Variétés in Paris on 28 October 1853. The work was dedicated to Mme Émile Perrin (wife of the then director of the Paris Opéra-comique), and was published by Challiot with some cuts in December that year.
Pépito was revived in March 1856 at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens and was part of the company’s repertoire for the rest of the decade. A production was mounted at the Carltheater in Vienna (as Das Mädchen von Elizondo) after which it was seen in Germany and Hungary for many years following. The London premiere was on 24 June 1857, Vienna was on 18 December and Budapest first saw the piece on 1 June 1859.[3] Later Offenbach works with a Spanish flavour include Les bavards and Maitre Peronilla.
Synopsis
A Basque village, Elizondo; to the left Vertigo’s inn ‘Au Crocodile’ – to the right Manuelita’s inn ‘À l’Esperance’
The local factotum Vertigo (who introduces himself with an air parody of Figaro’s entrance in The Barber of Seville) is rebuffed by the beautiful hostess of the local inn, Manuelita. She has been putting aside her slim profits for when her fiancé Pépito returns from military service to wed her. A friend from her childhood returns to his home village – it is Miguel, who while talking to Manuelita becomes very attracted to her. He and Pépito are exchanging letters and when Manuelita is told that Pépito is in love she is sure he is devoted to her. To win Manuelita, Miguel invites her to eat a meal with him but he is interrupted by Vertigo who informs him that Manuelita is virtuous and cannot be talked round. Miguel schemes to get the older man drunk and then he Miguel, will be able to press his suit, which he does. However, his bold advances to Manuelita are rejected. Miguel is so impressed by Manuelita’s virtue and loyalty to Pépito that he determines to go and take the young soldier’s place, so that Pépito may return to marry Manuelita. However, when Vertigo comes back he remembers he has a letter to deliver to Miguel: it is from Pépito, who has now married his cantiniere. Manuelita decides to be content with Miguel, while Vertigo gives in on condition that he may play his serpent at their wedding.
Quoted from Wikipedia