Offenbach - Du rire aux rêves

Unbridled gossip, zany scenes, fantasy and emotion: Opér’Azur dedicates an evening in two parts to the genius of Jacques Offenbach, on Sunday 4 October at the Espace Val Fleuri in Cagnes-sur-Mer.

For this new production, Opér’Azur brings together 20 artists, soloists and members of the Opér’Azur Vocal Ensemble, in a fully costumed show blending the irresistible madness of operetta with the romanticism of Les Contes d’Hoffmann.

The first part is conceived as a true stage work. Characters and situations borrowed notably from La Belle Hélène, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein and Monsieur Choufleuri follow one another fluidly, in a continuous staging where humour, theatre and music become one.

After the sparkle and fantasy, a change of atmosphere: the second part takes the audience into the romantic and fantastical world of Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Large excerpts from Offenbach's masterpiece will be performed with tenor Frédéric Diquero in the title role.

Under the musical direction and at the piano of Bruno Membrey, and directed by Guy Bonfiglio, the Opér’Azur artists thus offer a contrasting journey through the many faces of Offenbach: from laughter to dreams, from the most sparkling operetta to the emotion of grand lyrical work.