La vie parisienne (Parisian life) is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, composed by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Opéra bouffe (plural, opéra bouffes) is a genre of late 19th century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens that gave its name to the form. ... Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. ... Jacques Offenbach (20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880) was a French composer and cellist of the Romantic era with German-Jewish descent and one of the originators of the operetta form. ... Henri Meilhac (February 21, 1831 - 1897), French dramatist, was born in Paris. ... Ludovic Halévy (January 1, 1834 - May 8, 1908), French author, was born in Paris. ...

This work was Offenbach's first full-length piece to portray contemporary Parisian life, unlike his earlier period pieces and mythological subjects. It became one of Offenbach's most popular operettas.

Performance history

It was first produced in a five-act version at the Palais Royal, Paris on October 31, 1866. The work was revived in four acts (missing the original fourth act) on 25 September 1873 at the Théâtre des Variétés, Paris. Gardens of the Palais-Royal: The illustration, from an 1863 guide to Paris, enlarges the apparent scale. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

It was first given in London at the Holborn Theatre on March 30, 1872 in an adaptation by F. C. Burnand. The New York premiere was at the first Booth Theatre, on June 12, 1876. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... From The History of Punch Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (November 29, 1836 – April 21, 1917), often credited as F. C. Burnand, was an editor of Punch, taking over from Tom Taylor in 1880, until 1906, when he was succeeded by Sir Owen Seaman. ... This article is about the state. ... The Booth Theatre in 2006 The Booth Theatre on September 25, 2005 The Booth Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 222 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1876 Pick up Sticks(MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Roles

For other uses, see Baritone (disambiguation). ... This article is about Tenor vocalists in music. ... This article is about the voice-type. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that...

Synopsis

The story begins at the railway station, where the employees boast of all the wonderful places in France. Soon, Baron and Baroness Gondremarck arrive from frozen Stockholm for a Parisian holiday and ask tour guide Joseph Partout to show them the city's glittering night life. Finally, Pompa di Matadores, a Brazilian millionaire, arrives to spend a fortune in the capitol. In Act II, Metella, a prostitute with a heart of gold, reads a letter from Baron Gondremarck's friend, Baron Frascata asking her to give Gondremarck the same pleasure she once had given him. In Act III, at a party, the guests vow to make their pleasure long lasting as they eye one another, waiting to see who will make the first move. Bobinet rises to greet the crowd with a drinking song. The champagne flows and Baron Gondremarck (and everyone else) gets drunk. The party turns into a wild, sensual debauch. In Act IV, The Brazilian millionaire is offering a masked ball. Metella, anxious to win back Gardefeu, is in league with the Baroness, who wants to extricate her husband from the perils of Parisian life. The Brazilian and Gabrielle the pretty glover discover the virtues of love at first sight. All ends happily. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ...

External links

• http://www.boosey.com/downloads/VieParisienne_frz.pdf French libretto as originally submitted for censorship (Paris 1866/73).
• http://www.boosey.com/downloads/VieParisienne_dt.pdf German libretto as originally submitted for censorship (Vienna 1867).
• Synopsis and information from NODA
• Information about Offenbach and the operetta

Source

Vie parisienne, La by Andrew Lamb, in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7 The New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia (or encyclopedic dictionary) of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. ...