Offenbach, Jacques: Romantic Offenbach

Selected Arias for Baritone/Bass

Jacques Offenbach's more than 100 stage works are an endless treasure trove of vocal highlights with highly different musical moods and lyrical themes. To mark the 200th birthday of the great composer in 2019, which is at the same time the year of the 20th anniversary of the Offenbach Edition Keck OEK, the editor and Offenbach expert Jean-Christophe Keck has assembled a selection of arias. The four-part collection arranged according to voice category shows a rather unknown, romantic side of Offenbach. Apart from rediscovered works and first editions, however, the collection is not complete without some of his unrivalled hits. The volume for baritone/bass proves that Offenbach also wrote varied rewarding repertoire pieces for deep male voice: drinking song, prayer and arioso show the facets of the mercenary soldier Conrad from the grand opera Les Fées du Rhin, whereas the Prince from Fantasio, the pedlar from Le 66 or the Great Mogul from Barkouf are perfectly fun-loving characters. Apotheker und Perückenmacher, too, was one of Offenbach's great comedy successes. Of a more lyrical character is the husband of Madame Favart, an opéra comique from the late years of the composer's life. Romantic Offenbach is aimed at fully trained and budding professionals as well as at Offenbach fans of every shade and colour, providing repertoire pieces for recitals, studies or private music-making.