Organization

Chorus master

Patrick Marie Aubert

Opéra de Lausanne

Conductor

Arie van Beek

Stage director

Olivier Py

Set designer

Pierre-André Weitz

Costume designer

Lighting designer

Bertrand Killy

Choreographer

Ivo Bauchiero

Set design assistant

Mathieu Crescence

Costumes assistant

Nathalie Bègue

Singer

Tenor

Samy Camps

Orpheus

Soprano

Marie Perbost

Eurydice

Julien Dran

Aristaeus / Pluto

Baritone

Nicolas Cavallier

Jupiter

Mezzo-soprano

Sophie Pondjiclis

Public Opinion

Béatrice Nani

Venus

Yuki Tsurusaki

Cupid

Clémentine Bourgoin

Diana

Hoël Troadec

Mercury

Frédéric Longbois

John Styx

Bass

Aslam Safla

Mars

Opéra de Tours

Opéra national du Capitole

Others

Chœur de l'Opéra de Lausanne

Orchestra

Sinfonietta de Lausanne

Ensemble de violonistes du Conservatoire de Lausanne

Carole Meyer

Juno

Emma Delannoy

Minerva

Orphée aux enfers -  (Orpheus in the Underworld)

Lausanne

Switzerland

Orphée aux enfers Offenbach

Public

Private

Orpheus in the Underworld

Approved

1858. Faced with the threat of closure by the bailiffs of his Bouffes-Parisiens theatre whose coffers had been desperately empty since its opening three years earlier, Jacques Offenbach tried to do everything he could by writing (at last!) a major work aimed at balancing the budget and establishing his reputation as a composer. Encouraged in his approach by Napoleon III’s half-brother the Duke of Morny – who signed the libretto of Monsieur Choufleuri under a pseudonym and was no doubt responsible for the abolition of the limit on the number of characters and choruses in the Bouffes-Parisiens’ productions – Offenbach ventured to write the opera that would become the foundation of his legend: Orpheus aux Enfers. The appointment with eternity took place on 21 October 1858. Hector Crémieux had concocted a high-flying libretto based on an original idea by Ludovic Halévy (to whom Offenbach dedicated his score): an offbeat and anachronistic plunge into ancient Greece featuring a subtle yet extremely caustic background portrayal of the insipid vanity of Second Empire society. The bold move proved a hit and was enthusiastically received audiences – despite the fact that they were the primary target. The composer had taken impressive liberties for his first “no-holds-barred” work. Four acts, seven male and seven female singers, a large chorus and orchestra: the one-act operettas before this “opéra bouffon” – its exact name – appeared mere first drafts compared with this. One might as well come out and state that this was the first great French operetta.

English

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Co-Producer