Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
La Vie Parisienne (1866)
Complete original Five Act version published by Éditions musicales du Palazetto Bru Zane
Gabrielle – Jodie Devos (soprano)
Le Baron de Gondremarck – Franck Leguérinel (baritone)
Le Baronne de Gondremarck – Sandrine Buendia (soprano)
Gardefeu – Rodolphe Briand (tenor)
Bobinet – Marc Mauillon (baritone)
Le Brésilien/Gontran/Frick – Éric Huchet (tenor)
Métella – Aude Extrémo (mezzo)
Stage Production, Sets and Costumes by Christian Lacroix
Choeur Chambre de Namur
Les Musiciens de Louvre and Academy; Jeune Orchestre Atalntique/Romain Dumas
rec. live, 23/27 December 2021; Théâtre des Champs–Élysées, Paris, France
Includes booklet with notes in English,French
Naxos Blu-ray NBD0163V [178]
The fact that Offenbach’s popular 1866 operetta La Vie Parisienne existed in a previously unknown Five Act version comes as a complete surprise to this reviewer. The extra act in question is a Fourth Act that essentially adds a typically hung-over, morning-after-the-night-before scenario to the story of this charming work. The former, very brief Fourth Act set in a restaurant now becomes the Fifth. According to the well documented booklet notes the never-performed act was cut during the original rehearsals because of a vicious battle between the creators and the regular troupe of performers from the Palais Royale, where the operetta had its premiere. The booklet proposes that either the performers didn’t seem to understand what the authors were trying to lampoon, or they were simply not equal to the demands of the music and dialogue. Whatever the reason, the extra 20 minutes of music and an almost equal amount of dialogue lay buried in Offenbach’s manuscript score and various orchestral part scores scattered in different collections from which this new performing edition was derived. That the original production was so afflicted with conflict is a fact that was barely even hinted at in the booklet notes to the only reasonably available complete commercial recording, made under Michel Plasson for EMI in 1976.
This 2021 production becomes the stage premiere of the full work as Offenbach and his librettists intended it. Luckily it is a winner in almost every respect. The extra act contains a great deal of dialogue but also some delightful musical numbers, including a fantastic quartet in which the Baron Gondremarck is forced into impersonating a coachman. Hearing the full score at last one cannot deny that La Vie Parisienne is the most ambitious of all of Offenbach’s operettas, superseded in its scope only by his two operas, Die Rheinnixen and Les Contes d’Hoffmann.
The honour to oversee this first production was entrusted to fashion guru Christian Lacroix who was responsible for the stage direction as well as the sets and costumes. His production leaves the action and setting of the operetta alone for the most part, although he cannot resist throwing in some typically Parisian catwalk antics for many of the extras, usually to emphasise a few comedic points. I find it a bit irritating but not seriously so. His costumes and sets are bright and loudly colourful, in a symphony of well-planned tastelessness which pokes plenty of fun at both Parisian style in the 19th century and today’s fashion world. His direction of the many principals is faultless in its comedic timing and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves to the hilt.
This is a true ensemble operetta with no one singer having a star part to play. Among the very fine cast two singers emerge with top vocal honours. Belgian soprano Jodie Devos is a delectable bonbon as the glovemaker Gabrielle. The star quality of her soprano and her enthusiastic portrayal dominates the stage in all of her scenes. At the opposite end of the spectrum the classy, self-possessed courtesan Métella is embodied in the willowy elegance of French mezzo Aude Extrémo. Her warm, hypnotic voice and stage presence are just perfect and make both of Métella’s short, but important scenes the veritable highlight of the evening.
Among the other members of this accomplished cast Marc Mauillon and Rodolphe Briand make an irrepressible pair of society rakes caught in trap of their own making. Franck Leguérinel’s impersonation of the gullible Danish bumpkin, Baron Gondremarck, transforms him into an adorable rogue. Éric Huchet makes a fine Fritz but The Brazilian needs a singer with more bravado than he evinces, although he sings the Rondeau stylishly. While Sandrine Buendia makes a pleasing Baronness. Romain Dumas leads an orchestra which is made up of members from three different ensembles; throughout he conducts the score with lightness and brio, which places the very best spotlight on the recovered music in particular.
This Blu-ray has impeccable technical standards, the camera work showcase Lacroix’s flamboyant designs in superbly rendered detail. I was not able to audition the surround tracks for this review but the two-channel sound is very forward and analytical, especially where the voices are concerned, which is what one wants from this type of musical comedy. I have no hesitation in recommending this Blu-ray as the version of choice on video and also among the previous audio-only recordings of this most innately Parisian of all operettas. The new performing edition places this at the forefront of Offenbach’s stage achievements.
Mike Parr
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Video details
Region code – A,B,C
Picture format: HD 16:9
Sound format DTS Master Audio 5.1/ PCM stereo 2.0
Sung in French; subtitles in French, English, German, Japanese, Korean
