Offenbach, Jacques
Daphnis et Chloé (1860)
Opérette in one act
Libretto by N. Clairville(=Louis Nicolaïe) and Jules Cordier; original German version by G. Ernst and Ferdinand Gumbert (F,G)
Scoring
2S,M,T,Bar; female chorus;
2(II=picc).1.2.1-2.2.1.0-timp.perc-strings
.
Abbreviations (PDF).
Territory
This work is available from Boosey & Hawkes for the world.
World Premiere
3/27/1860
Paris
Company: unknown
Roles
| THE GOD PAN | Baritone |
| DAPHNIS | Tenor |
| CHLOË | Soubrette Soprano |
| BACCHANTES | Soprano, Mezzo Soprano |
Time and Place
Rural area in antiquity
Synopsis
Daphnis and Chloë are ardently, but innocently in love with each other. The lecherous Pan has his eye on Chloë, and Daphnis is courted by all the bacchantes. They tell the young shepherd the facts of life and try to make him forget Chloë with the help of Lethe, the godly drink of oblivion. Daphnis, however, does not even taste the elixir in the first place, for Pan has already emptied it, believing it to be an aphrodisiac. Conclusion: "The great god Pan forgets what he intended to do, but meanwhile Daphnis and Chloë are getting down to it anyway..."
Moods
Comic, Poetic, Romantic
Subjects
Mythology, Relationships
