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Opera in the Repertoire · Romantic

Belle Lurette

Music by Jacques Offenbach · libretto by Ernest Blum · premiered 1880 · at Théâtre de la Renaissance

Belle Lurette is a three-act opéra comique with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Ernest Blum, Edouard Blau and Raoul Toché. It was first performed at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris, on 30 October 1880. The composer died before the orchestration of the score was finished, and Léo Delibes completed it. The opera depicts the romantic affairs of a beautiful Parisian laundress, known as "Belle Lurette", and the entanglements of those around her.

Text from the Wikipedia article "Belle Lurette", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

About the Composer

Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Franz von Suppé, Johann Strauss II and Arthur Sullivan. His best-known works were continually revived during the 20th century, and many of his operettas continue to be staged in the 21st. The Tales of Hoffmann remains part of the standard opera repertory. Born in Cologne, Kingdom of Prussia, the son of a synagogue cantor, Offenbach showed early musical talent. At the age of 14, he…

Text from the Wikipedia article "Jacques Offenbach", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Other Operas by Jacques Offenbach