Giroflé-Girofla
Music by Charles Lecocq · premiered 1874
Giroflé-Girofla is an opéra bouffe in three acts with music by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto was by Albert Vanloo and Eugène Leterrier. The story, set in 13th century Spain, concerns twin brides, one of whom is abducted by pirates. The other twin poses as both brides until the first is rescued. The composer chose an extravagantly far-fetched theme to contrast with his more realistic and romantic success La fille de Madame Angot premiered the previous year. The opera was first presented at the Théâtre des Fantaisies Parisiennes, Brussels, on 21 March 1874, and was given in London and Paris later the same year; it was soon played in theatres throughout Europe, in the Americas and Australia, and was given many revivals into the early 20th century.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Giroflé-Girofla", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Composer
Alexandre Charles Lecocq (French pronunciation: [alɛksɑ̃dʁ ʃaʁl ləkɔk]; 3 June 1832 – 24 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable success in the 1870s and early 1880s, before the changing musical fashions of the late 19th century made his style of composition less popular. His few serious works include the opera Plutus (1886), which was not a success, and the ballet Le Cygne (1899). His only piece to survive in the regular modern operatic repertory is his 1872 opéra comique La Fille de Madame Angot (Mme Angot's Daughter). Others of his more than forty…
Text from the Wikipedia article "Charles Lecocq", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Other Operas by Charles Lecocq
- Fleur-de-Thé (1868)
- La Fille de Madame Angot (1872)
- La Petite Mariée (1875)
- Kosiki (1876)
- La Marjolaine (1877)
- La Camargo (1878)
- Ali-Baba (1887)
- L'Égyptienne (1890)