Daphnis et Chloé is a one-act opérette by Jacques Offenbach

Jacques Offenbach

Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....

. The libretto was by Clairville (alias of Louis Nicolaïe (1822-1879)) and Jules Cordier (alias of Éléonore Tenaille de Vaulabelle (1802-1859)), based on the story of Daphnis and Chloe

Daphnis and Chloe

Daphnis and Chloe is the only known work of the 2nd century AD Greek novelist and romancer Longus.-Setting and style:It is set on the isle of Lesbos during the 2nd century AD, which is also assumed to be the author's home. Its style is rhetorical and pastoral; its shepherds and shepherdesses are...

.

Performance history

It premiered at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens

Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens

The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens is a Parisian theatre which was founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with an entrance at the back at 65 Passage Choiseul. In...

 (Salle Choiseul) on 27 March 1860 under the direction of the composer.

In 1907, the piece was arranged by André Bloch

André Bloch (composer)

André Bloch was a French composer and music educator. He studied with André Gedalge, Ernest Guiraud, and Jules Massenet at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1893 he won the Prix de Rome for his cantata Antigone which used a text by Ferdinand Beissier. The prize enabled him to pursue further studies...

 and performed as Myrianne et Daphné at the Monte Carlo Opera, with 'Tate' (Maggie Teyte

Maggie Teyte

Dame Maggie Teyte DBE was an English operatic soprano and interpreter of French art song.-Early years:Margaret Tate was born in Wolverhampton, England, one of ten children of Jacob James Tate, a successful wine and spirit merchant and proprietor of public houses and later lodgings. Her parents...

) as Tyrius, Edmond Clément

Edmond Clément

Edmond Clément was a French lyric tenor who earned an international reputation due to the polished artistry of his singing....

 as Myrianne and Hector Dufranne

Hector Dufranne

Hector Dufranne was a Belgian operatic bass-baritone who enjoyed a long career that took him to opera houses throughout Europe and the United States for more than four decades...

 as Alphésibée.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, (Conductor: )
Pan, the god	bass	Désiré Désiré (baritone) Désiré was a French baritone, who is particularly remembered for creating many comic roles in the works of the French operetta composer Jacques Offenbach...
Chloé, a shepherdess	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...	Collas
Daphnis, a shepherd	mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...	Juliette Beau
Calisto, a bacchante	soprano	Marie Cico Marie Cico Marie Cico, born in Paris in 1843 and died Neuilly-sur-Seine on 11 September 1875 was a French singer of opéra-comique and operetta. She made her debut at the Palais-Royal, where she was noticed by Jacques Offenbach, who took her into his company...
Xantippe, a bacchante		Marguerite Chabert
Locoë, a bacchante
Aricie, a bacchante
Eriphyle, a bacchante
Amalthée, a bacchante
Niobé, a bacchante

Recordings

• Recordings may be found on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

External links

• Daphnis et Chloé Libretto at WikiSource