''Puck'' is an opéra-féerique in three acts with music by

Marcel Delannoy Marcel-François-Georges Delannoy (9 July 1898 – 14 September 1962) was a French composer and critic.Hoérrée A. Marcel Delannoy. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. He wrote operas, ballets, orchest ...

, premiered in 1949. The French libretto was adapted by André Boll from Shakespeare’s '' A Midsummer Night's Dream''. Hoérée, Arthur. Marcel Delannoy. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.

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.Feschotte J. Création à Strasbourg: Puck. In: ''Almanach de la Musique 1950.'' Éditions de Flore, Paris, 128-129. The Strasbourg production was seen at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 17 November 1949 and at the

Theater des Westens The Theater des Westens (Theatre of the West) is one of the most famous theatres for musicals and operettas in Berlin, Germany, located at 10–12 in Charlottenburg. It was founded in 1895 for plays. The present house was opened in 1896 and de ...

in Berlin on 22 September 1951. The

Paris Conservatoire Orchestra Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

conducted by

André Cluytens André Cluytens (, ; born Augustin Zulma Alphonse Cluytens; 26 March 19053 June 1967)Baeck E. ''André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre.'' Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009. was a Belgian-born French conductor who was active in the con ...

played a suite from ''Puck'' at their concert on 21 May 1956.Baeck E. ''André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre.'' Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009. There was much media coverage of the premiere and a generally positive welcome for the work. The story is loosely based on the play by Shakespeare and mixes traditional opéra comique elements with dance (the title role) and actors. Grove talks of the opera’s "mobile declamation oscillating between speech and song".

Roles and role creators

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puck French-language operas Operas 1949 operas Operas based on A Midsummer Night's Dream