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03/13/2025
Jacques Offenbach: La Vie parisienne
Anne-Catherine Gillet (Gabrielle), Véronique Gens (Métella), Sandrine Buendia (La Baronne de Gondremarck), Elena Galitskaya (Pauline), Louise Pingeot (Clara), Marie Kalinine (Bertha), Marie Gautrot (Mme de Quimper-Karadec), Caroline Meng (Mme de Folle-Verdure), Artavazd Sargsyan (Raoul de Gardefeu), Marc Mauillon (Bobinet), Jérôme Boutillier (Le Baron de Gondremarck), Pierre Derhet (Le Brésilien, Le Major Frick, Gontran), Philippe Estèphe (Urbain, Alfred, Un employé), Carl Ghazarossian (Prosper, Joseph, Alphonse), Chœur de l’Opéra national du Capitole de Toulouse), Gabriel Bourgoin (chorus master), Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Romain Dumas (conductor)
Recording: La Halle aux Grains, Toulouse, France (January 10‑13, 2023) – 158’43
Bru Zane BZ1057 (Distributed by Naxos of America) – Book in French and English
One of Jacques Offenbach’s most well-known works, La Vie parisienne premiered on October 31, 1866 at the Théâtre du Palais‑Royal. What is currently performed in theatres around the world is a far cry from what Offenbach had originally penned. Once again, Palazzetto Bru Zane has painstakingly unearthed hundreds of pages of Offenbach’s score that were deemed by performers as too difficult to sing. With pressure to pare down text by librettists, Meilhac and Halévy, and musical compartments by Offenbach himself, resulted in a warm reception to patrons and attendees.
This World Premiere Recording re‑institutes a delightful assortment of musical numbers to give a ravishing and energetic outtake to Jacques Offenbach’s original wishes. Hence, the opéra‑bouffe reverts back to the five act structure, abandoning the four act revival frame as was created for the September 1873 showing at the Théâtre des Variétés. Marie Humbert’s and Sébastien Troester’s write‑up, bracketing the fastidious detailing of revisions, number by number, is a marvelous educational compendium for classical musicophiles.
Shying away from mythological underpinnings such as Orphée aux enfers (1864) or even
La Belle Hélène (1866), La Vie parisienne is a conglomeration of vaudeville, operetta, play and musical revue. Furthermore, this Offenbachian vision is an amalgam of farcical assignations, mistaken identities, masqueraded fêtes (à la Die Fledermaus) and pure buffoonery. Catchy phrasing, pattering prestos and a magazine of staccato regalia, the listener is sure to be entertained by the depth and texture of this composition.
Hidden treasures surface, including the delightful formalities surrounding the “Trio diplomatique” as well as Sandrine Buendia’s poignant rendition of the waltzy-dialogue inside the “The Baroness Fabliau”. Romain Dumas is given the charge to direct the music and vocal acrobatics of this Toulouse release: pacing and structure are thoughtfully entertaining.
Entailing a multitudinous roster of singers this sélection fits like a velvet glove. Topping the list we find Anne‑Catherine Gillet’s Gabrielle with her usual dexterity and pliability, yet a tad deeper timbre developing through the years. Concurrently, the character, Métella, sung by illustrious Véronique Gens, has consistently rich accentuations and tones combined by innately stated nuances.
...nonstop frivolity and fireworks galore. Highly recommended.
Christie Grimstad
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