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

  1. ^ a b Hoérée, Arthur. Marcel Delannoy. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
  2. ^ a b c Feschotte J. Création à Strasbourg: Puck. In: Almanach de la Musique 1950. Éditions de Flore, Paris, 128-129.
  3. ^ a b Lehn, Mathias (2012). Le Personnage de Puck: Du modèle shakespearien à l'opéra contemporain (Britten, Vreuls, Delannoy, Gerber). Editions Publibook. ISBN 9782748382754.
  4. ^ Baeck E. André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre. Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009.
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