Puck (opera)

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title: "Puck (opera)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["french-language-operas", "operas", "1949-operas", "operas-based-on-a-midsummer-night's-dream"] description: "1949 opéra-féerique by Marcel Delannoy" topic_path: "geography/france" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puck_(opera)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1949 opéra-féerique by Marcel Delannoy ::

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.

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. 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.{{cite book |title = Le Personnage de Puck: Du modèle shakespearien à l'opéra contemporain (Britten, Vreuls, Delannoy, Gerber) |last = Lehn |first = Mathias |publisher = Editions Publibook |year = 2012 |isbn = 9782748382754 |ref = none

There was much media coverage of the premiere and a generally positive welcome for the work. The story is loosely based on the play by Shakespeare and mixes traditional opéra comique elements with dance (the title role) and actors. Grove talks of the opera’s "mobile declamation oscillating between speech and song".

Roles and role creators

::data[format=table] | Role | Voice type | Cast of premiere, 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

References

1. [[Arthur Hoérée. 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. Baeck E. ''André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre.'' Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009.

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