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| operas by jacques offenbach | |
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''Les brigands'' was first performed at the Théâtre Des Variétés , Paris on 10 December 1869 . This version was in three acts. A four-act version was subsequently prepared for the Théâtre De La Gaîté on 25 December 1878 . The piece achieved great success as the Second Empire came to an end. Only the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in the following months dampened audience enthusiasm. The piece also played in New York City at The Grand Opera House in 1870-71. Info from IBDB database Meilhac and Halévy's libretto is cheerfully amoral in its presentation of theft as a basic principle of society rather than as an aberration. The forces of law and order are represented by the bumbling Carabinieri , who always arrive too late to capture the thieves, and whose exaggerated attire delighted the Parisian audience during the premiere. Les brigands has a more substantial plot than many Offenbach operettas and integrates the songs more completely into the story. In addition to policemen, financiers receive satiric treatment. The music of the piece influenced Bizet in writing '' Carmen '', and the librettists for this work supplied Bizet's libretto. Analysis of several Offenbach pieces ENGLISH VERSIONS The piece was translated in three acts as ''The Brigands'' by English dramatist (1904) Gilbert was displeased with his own work and attempted to prevent its performance in London - fortunately without success. Letter from Gilbert to '''' of 7 November 1889 Gilbert's arch lyrics pleased operetta audiences, who were delighted to accept a rough-and-tumble pirate band speaking impeccable Drawing Room English while describing dastardly deeds to Gavotte s and musical romps in three-quarter time. Many of the characters and situations in the piece are echoed later in Gilbert And Sullivan 's '' The Pirates Of Penzance '' and '' The Gondoliers ''. An earlier English version by H. S. Leigh was presented at the Globe Theatre in London under the name ''Falsacappa'', beginning on 13 September, 1875. Camille Dubois starred as Fragoletto, Julia Vokins was the Princess of Granada and Nelly Bromley was the Prince of Popoli. This version had also been given an 1871 performance in London.Adams, William Davenport. ''A Dictionary of the Drama'', Chatto & Windus (1904) SYNOPSIS Fragoletto, a young farmer, is captured by Italian brigands lurking in the Alps. He falls in love with Fiorella, the daughter of the bandit chief Falsacappa. Falsacappa intends to move up from small robberies to grand-scale ones. To prove himself, Fragoletto becomes involved in Falsacappa's complicated plan to steal a large sum of money while intercepting the marriage between the Princess of Granada (whom they capture) and the womanizing Prince of Mantua (the Duke). Falsacappa substitutes Fiorella's portrait for that of the Princess and provides his own wedding delegation to Mantua. Eventually, matters are sorted out, the brigands are revealed and pardoned, and Fragoletto marries his beloved Fiorella. The lesson: the true bandits are to be found not in the forest but in the leading circles of society. ROLES MUSICAL NUMBERS
Act I
Act II
Act III
RECORDINGS This work has been recorded a number of times: List of recordings
NOTES REFERENCES
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