' is a one-act ''

opérette This is a glossary list of opera genres, giving alternative names. "Opera" is an Italian word (short for "opera in musica"); it was not at first ''commonly'' used in Italy (or in other countries) to refer to the genre of particular works. Most c ...

-bouffe'' with music by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...

and a libretto by

Philippe Gille Philippe Emile François Gille (10 December 1831 – 19 March 1901) was a French dramatist and opera librettist, who was born and died in Paris. He wrote over twenty librettos between 1857 and 1893, the most famous of which are Massenet's '' Mano ...

, which was premiered at the Bouffes-Parisiens Salle Choiseul, on 16 May 1857.

Background

The work was the first collaboration between Philippe Gille and Offenbach, and the start of a friendship between them which endured until the death of the latter. It also marked the first appearance with Offenbach of the singer-actor Désiré, who went on to create many roles in the composer's works. ''Vent du soir'' was a success, and was revived in Paris and also performed in Brussels and Vienna. A production in Swedish was presented in 2003 in Stockholm by Teater travers,"Vådan av att bli kär i sin middag – Köttets lusta" (The perils of falling in love with dinner – meat lust)
'' Svenska Dagbladet'', 14 November 2003 , accessed 10 September 2014. and in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, Italy in November 2016.

Roles

Synopsis

On an Oceanic island, Vent-du-soir receives a visit from a neighbouring chief Lapin-courageux. Both men get on very well, as they had eaten the other's wife. Vent-du-soir puts on a good spread for his guest. Atala, daughter of Vent-du-soir, meanwhile, has fallen in love with the ship-wrecked stranger Arthur, a hair-dresser of the rue Vivienne. As the day's hunt was fruitless, Vent-du-soir decides that he will have to sacrifice Arthur, but when they are at table, Lapin-courageux realizes that they have eaten his lost son, as he can hear the musical watch he gave his son ringing in his stomach. Luckily the diners learn that in fact they have been served a bear, in whose skin Arthur had been hiding. All ends happily and Atala and Arthur are able to marry.

Musical numbers

* Ouverture (representing a storm) * Couplets (Atala) "Petit bébé" * Couplets et duetto (Arthur, Atala) "Mon front n'a pas" * Trio (Atala, Arthur, Vent du soir) "Grands dieux!" * Trio (Atala, Lapin-courageux, Vent-du-soir) "Gloire aux Papas-Toutous" * Trio (Atala, Lapin-courageux, Vent-du-soir) and ''chanson nègre'' (Lapin-courageux) "Ô fête incomplète" * Duo, trio et quatuor (Vent-du-soir, Lapin-courageux; Atala, Arthur) "Ciel! Ciel! Ciel!" * Final (all) "Que mon sort est doux"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vent du soir Operas by Jacques Offenbach French-language operas Operas 1857 operas Cannibalism in fiction