''Passionnément!'' (''Passionately'') is an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

or ''comédie musicale'' in three acts with music by

André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéra comique, opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage wo ...

to a French libretto by

Maurice Hennequin Maurice Hennequin (10 December 1863 – 3 September 1926) was a French-naturalized Belgian playwright. Biography A great-grandson of the painter Philippe-Auguste Hennequin, Maurice Hennequin was the son of Alfred Hennequin (1842–1887), himse ...

and lyrics by

Albert Willemetz Albert Willemetz (14 February 1887 – 7 October 1964) was a French libretto, librettist. Career Albert Willemetz was a prolific lyricist. He invented a new type of musical, with a humorous and "sexy" style. He was the author of more than 3000 ...

. The title comes from the refrain of a waltz-song in the second act. It premiered on 16 January 1926 at the

Théâtre de la Michodière The Théâtre de la Michodière is a theatre building and performing arts venue, located at 4 bis, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. Built by in 1925 in Art Deco style, it has a tradition of showing boulevard theatre. History On the si ...

in Paris.

Performance history

In recent years performances have taken place in Marseille and Rennes (2003) and Aubagne (2009).

Roles

Synopsis

Act 1 On board Stevenson’s yacht ''Arabella'' Stevenson, a tough American businessman arrives at Trouville with his beautiful wife Ketty, her young Canadian maid Julia and the Captain Harris. He is there to buy land in Colorado – at a knock-down price - which a young Frenchman Robert Perceval has inherited, and who doesn’t realize that the oil may be found on the land. Distrustful of Frenchmen, Stevenson makes his wife Ketty (a former music-hall star) to show herself in public as an old woman, with white hair and tinted glasses; he forces her to swear this on the Bible. Robert comes on board, along with his friend Le Barrois and his wife Hélène, Robert’s jealous mistress, who is reassured by the sight of an old woman in glasses. Later, Ketty, without her disguise, meets Robert, and pretends to be the niece (Marguerite) of the brutish and teetotal Stevenson; they begin to fall in love. Act 2 Trouville, in an elegant salon of the Villa des Roses The yacht has had to be put into dry dock for repair. The visitors stay meanwhile in the Villa. Ketty confides in Julia her love for Robert. Stevenson is anxious to get the contract signed as soon as possible. Just as Robert is about to do so, he receives a note from 'Marguerite' warning him of underhand goings-on. So Robert stops signing, and Stevenson angrily goes off to the Casino. Robert wonders if Marguerite loves him and the act closes with them in each other's arms. Act 3 The next day Julia hopes that just as her mistress has been blessed in love, so she will be. Stevenson returns home from the casino where he had discovered the delights of champagne. The three bottles have also made him become kind, considerate – and aware of the beauty of Julia… The two lovers take advantage of this change, and get Stevenson to reveal the riches of the Colorado terrain, and to divorce Ketty so that she and Robert can get married.

Recordings

Various excerpts were recorded in 1932 including some by members of the original cast.Morin P. ''Hommage à André Messager.'' Notes for Cascavelle CD Vel 3074, 2003. The same year saw a film version produced by René Guissart. *''Passionnément'' - recorded in Paris in July 1964, with the Orchestre Lyrique de l'O.R.T.F. conducted by Jean-Paul Kreder, with

Lina Dachary Lina Dachary was a French soprano born in 1922 and died in 1999. She was particularly noted for her prolific radio appearances in operetta.

(Ketty), Christiane Arbell (Hélène), Claudine Collart (Julia), Aimé Doniat (Perceval), Dominique Tirmont, Gérard Friedmann, Hiéronimus and René Lénoty. Gaîté Lyrique/Musidisc, 1992 *''Passionnément'' - recorded at the

Prinzregententheater The Prinzregententheater, or, as it was called in its first decades, the Prinz-Regenten-Theater, in English the Prince Regent Theatre, is a concert hall and opera house on Prinzregentenplatz in the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany. Building ...

, Munich on 11, 12 and 13 December 2020, with the Munchner Rundfunkorchester, conducted by Stefan Blunier, with

Véronique Gens Véronique Gens (born 19 April 1966) is a French operatic soprano. She has spent much of her career recording and performing Baroque music, Baroque music. Gens was born in Orléans, France, and studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, winning fir ...

(Ketty), Étienne Dupuis (Perceval), Nicole Car (Julia), Eric Huchet (Stevenson), Chantal Santon Jeffrey (Hélène), Armando Noguera (Harris). Bru Zane, 1 CD, 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Passionement Operas by André Messager French-language operas 1926 operas Operas