Orphée aux enfers

Overview

Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld) is a comic opera by Jacques Offenbach to words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act "opéra bouffon" at the Bouffes-Parisiens on 21 October 1858 and extensively revised and expanded into a four-act "opéra féerie", presented at the Théâtre de la Gaîté, Paris, on 7 February 1874 (Wikipedia, "Orpheus in the Underworld"). The "Galop infernal" of the underworld scene became the best-known tune of the can-can. The 1874 version, which is the one Marie sees, added spectacle and new scenes.

Marie and this work

• 30 October 1873, Nice. She and Bête talk of "l'Orphée, Belle Hélène, grande-duchesse et Château à Toto" (011.0354).
• 18 May 1874, Paris. At the Gaîté for "Orphée aux enfers qui vient d'être transformé en opéra bouffe-féerie" (019.0275); the theatre is pretty, but she has only a balcony seat (019.0275).
• 8 July - 1 August 1874, Spa. She wants a hated Englishman to fall in love with her so that she can ask him to dance "le galop comme Mercure dans Orphée à Paris, dans l'Orphée réformé" (021.0060, 022.0346).
• 20-21 September 1874, Paris. She sees it again (024.0039, 024.0042).
• 27 October 1874, Nice. It is given in Nice with a new singer, Nina Laffite; she goes for Audiffret and the singer (025.0003).
• 5 May 1881, Paris. Named among the operettas that precede the "insipid" new ones (091.0564).

Sources

• Wikipedia, "Orpheus in the Underworld".
• Libretto on Wikisource and scores on IMSLP, linked above.