Le pont des soupirs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Operas by Jacques Offenbach

Ba-ta-clan (1855)
Les deux aveugles (1855)
La bonne d'enfant (1856)
Le mariage aux lanternes (1857)
Orpheus in the Underworld (1858)
Geneviève de Brabant (1859)
M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le . . . (1861)
Le pont des soupirs (1861)
La belle Hélène (1864)
Barbe-bleue (1866)
La vie parisienne (1866)
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (1867)
Robinson Crusoé (1867)
L'île de Tulipatan (1868)
La Périchole (1868)
Les brigands (1869)
Bagatelle (1874)
Madame Favart (1878)
La fille du tambour-major (1879)
Les contes d'Hoffmann (1880 - unfinished)

v  d  e

Le pont des soupirs (The Bridge of Sighs) is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Hector-Jonathan Cremieux and Ludovic Halévy.

Contents

[edit] Performance history

It was first performed in a two-act version at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, Paris on 23 March 1861. A four-act version was subsequently given at the Théâtre des Variétés, Paris on 8 May 1868.

[edit] Roles

Role Voice type Premiere Cast, March 23, 1861,
(Conductor: - )
Amoroso, a pageboy soprano Lucille Tostée
Astolfo bass
Cascadetto tenor
Cornarino Cornarini, Doge of Venice tenor
Catarina Cornarini, his wife soprano
Baptiste, the Doge's equerry tenor
Fabiono Fabiani Malatromba, member of the Council of Ten tenor
Franrusto bass
Arlequin
Colombine
Laodice
The chief of the Council of Ten

[edit] Synopsis

Place: Venice
Time: 1321

Cornarino Cornarini, the Doge of Venice, who was also the admiral of the Venetian fleet, has deserted the navy in fear of the coming sea battle, and so is under a cloud of disgrace. He returns to his palace with his squire, Baptiste, to find his wife, Catarina, being serenaded by two lovers. The first is the Prime Minister. The second is his villainous cousin, Fabiano Fabiani Malatromba. Cornarini and Baptiste make a clumsy attempt to prevent Catarina's seduction and get arrested in the process. Brought before the Council of Ten, Cornarini and Baptiste try to save their lives by posing as Cornarini’s killers. Unfortunately, Catarina and her page, Amoroso, appear claiming that Cornarini is alive, and the two are exposed. Malatromba bribes the Council of Ten to sentence the absent Doge to death and proclaims himself replacement Doge. However, a messenger brings news from the sea battle: the enemy has suffered a devastating defeat, the admiral's escape had only been a strategic trick. The quarrel between Cornarini and Malatromba is continued in a carnevalistic manner. A dexterity competition decides who will be the future doge. Cornarini wins with Amoroso's help.

[edit] References

Andrew Lamb, " Le Pont des soupirs ", in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7

[edit] External links

Languages