Puck (opera)
Puck is an opéra-féerique in three acts with music by Marcel Delannoy, premiered in 1949. The French libretto was adapted by André Boll from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream.[1]
Background
It was first performed at the Opéra Municipal in Strasbourg on 29 January 1949 directed by Roger Lalande with scenery and costumes designed by Boll.[2] The Strasbourg production was seen at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 17 November 1949 and at the Theater des Westens in Berlin on 22 September 1951.[3] The Paris Conservatoire Orchestra conducted by André Cluytens played a suite from Puck at their concert on 21 May 1956.[4]
There was much media coverage of the premiere and a generally positive welcome for the work.[2] The story is loosely based on the play by Shakespeare and mixes traditional opéra comique elements with dance (the title role) and actors.[3] Grove talks of the opera’s "mobile declamation oscillating between speech and song".[1]
Roles and role creators
| Role | Voice type | Cast of premiere,[2] 29 January 1949. Conductor: Ernest Bour |
|---|---|---|
| Puck | dancer | Roland April |
| Titania | soprano | Mona Million |
| Obéron | bass | Georges Jongejeans |
| A fairy | soprano | Nany Arnaud |
| Thésée | tenor | Roger Barnier |
| Démétrius | tenor | Paul Derenne |
| Hélène | mezzo-soprano | Marika Stephanidès |
| Lysandre | bariton-martin | Georges Verguet |
| Hermia | soprano | Jacqueline Drozin |
| Quince | tenor | Kedroff |
| Bottom | tenor | René Hérent |
| Snug | baritone | Akiaroff |
| Flute | bass | Borissoff |
| Égée | spoken | Paul Parmentier |
| Hippolyte | silent | Eveline Mischke |
References
- ^ a b Hoérée, Arthur. Marcel Delannoy. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
- ^ a b c Feschotte J. Création à Strasbourg: Puck. In: Almanach de la Musique 1950. Éditions de Flore, Paris, 128-129.
- ^ a b Lehn, Mathias (2012). Le Personnage de Puck: Du modèle shakespearien à l'opéra contemporain (Britten, Vreuls, Delannoy, Gerber). Editions Publibook. ISBN 9782748382754.
- ^ Baeck E. André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre. Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009.