Vocal studies students perform 'Jacques Offenbach's opera 'La Périchole, opéra bouffe in 2 actes'. The opera will be directed by Timeau De Keyser and Hans Mortelmans. Stijn Saveniers is in charge of conducting.
The story of La Périchole
The main character in this story is La Périchole, which literally translates to street singer. La Périchole and Piquillo are hopelessly in love with each other. But you cannot live on love alone, and their work as performers on the streets of Lima, Peru does not bring in nearly enough to feed themselves.
When the local king walks through the streets of Lima one day and comes across La Périchole, he is immediately smitten. He proposes to have her move into his palace with him as his newest courtesan. La Périchole accepts the proposal and writes a letter to Piquillo breaking off the relationship.
Only one rule throws a spanner in the works: a king's mistress must be married. And so the king sends his henchmen out to find an (in)suitable husband for La Périchole. Coincidentally, they stumble across someone who is just about to end his life after a love break-up. You guessed it: Piquillo. He is taken to the palace, where he marries a veiled woman he does not recognise as La Périchole. What follows is a series of plot twists, until the two lovers are finally back in each other's arms.
Jaques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach is considered one of the creators of operetta. Partly due to his work, operetta has become an internationally accepted art form. La Périchole (1868) is one of his best-known pieces. It is a comic and romantic opéra-bouffe in two acts.