Puck (opera)

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. Hoérée, Arthur. Marcel Delannoy. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
  2. Feschotte J. Création à Strasbourg: Puck. In: Almanach de la Musique 1950. Éditions de Flore, Paris, 128-129.
  3. 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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