Musique symphonique et ballets d'Orphée aux enfers

Featuring

Howard Griffiths
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Jacques Offenbach
Carl Binder

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Cultural Impact

Offenbach's "Orphée aux Enfers" became his first worldwide success, establishing a new genre called the "Offenbachiade," which was a form of social satire in musical theater.

Composition History

In 1874, Offenbach thoroughly revised "Orphée aux Enfers," transforming it from a two-act "opéra-bouffon" into a four-act "opéra-bouffe-féerie" with lavish staging and new musical numbers.

Notable Performances

After its premiere, "Orphée aux Enfers" was performed almost continuously in Paris, reaching its 1000th performance by 1878.

Recording & Production

The ballet "L'Atlantide" from "Orphée aux Enfers" was rediscovered by Jean-Christophe Keck in an old storage box and is receiving its recording premiere on this CD.

Composition History

Carl Binder (1816-1860), a conductor at Vienna's Carl-Theater, created the popular "Binder Overture" for "Orphée aux Enfers" because the original 1858 version lacked a substantial overture.

Compositional Technique

Offenbach frequently reused his own music, borrowing from his "Décaméron dramatique" for the "Pastoral Ballet" in "Orphée aux Enfers" and later reusing music from "L'Atlantide" in "Le Voyage dans la lune."

Composition History

Jacques Offenbach's "Orphée aux Enfers" (Orpheus in the Underworld) marked the beginning of operetta history, building on his earlier one-act productions and the works of his colleague Hervé.