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44-517: The opera premiered in Paris in 1867 and starred Hortense Schneider in the title role. Thereafter, it was heard in New York, London and elsewhere, and it is still performed and recorded. Offenbach's career was at its height in the 1860s with the premieres of some of his most popular and enduring works, such as La Belle Hélène (1864) and La Vie parisienne (1866). With the original production of

88-676: A Ruritanian romance with music adapted from Chopin . The production was brought into the West End in March 1930, when one reviewer wrote "Walter Passmore and Amy Augarde played into each others' hands with an easy competence that was a delight to watch". This was his last West End production, and he retired in 1933. Following the death of his first wife in 1901 Passmore married another D'Oyly Carte artist, Agnes Fraser , in 1902 at Wandsworth , London, who frequently appeared with him on stage. They had four children: Henry Fraser Passmore (1905–1987,

132-519: A dozen individual songs from the Gilbert and Sullivan operas for Odeon . Many of these have been re-issued by Pearl on LP and CD ("The Art of the Savoyard", Pearl GEMM CD 9991). In a historic 1908 recording of The Mikado for Odeon that was reissued by Pearl on LP (GEMM 198), Passmore sang the role of Ko-Ko. This recording is nearly complete and is a rare opportunity to hear an artist who recorded

176-440: A false alarm to fight the enemy. The enemy proves to be a jealous husband who mistakes him for another man and gives him a caning. Fritz is stripped of his military ranks, but he can now leave the army, return to Wanda, and become a village schoolmaster, albeit a rather illiterate one. General Boum is made happy by the restoration of his command; Baron Puck is reinstated to the royal favor from which he had meanwhile fallen; Baron Grog

220-507: A general manager of Hammer films 1935–37); John Fraser Passmore (1908–1973); Nancie A. Passmore (1910–1990), who married the tenor Joseph Hislop ; and Isobel Mary Fraser Passmore (1913–1992). In 1939 he was living with his wife and unmarried stockbroker son John in a modest retirement at Heath Mews at The Mount in Hampstead , London. Passmore died at Golders Green , London, at the age of 79. Between 1900 and 1913, Passmore recorded over

264-519: A revival of H.M.S. Pinafore (1899). While rehearsing the role, Passmore suggested to W. S. Gilbert that he might walk around with his nose in the air "as though raising it above an unpleasant smell". Gilbert quipped, "Unpleasant smell? Well, you're the best judge of that, Passmore." Passmore then created the role of Hassan in The Rose of Persia (1899–1900) and played the Sergeant of Police in

308-500: Is blighted by the news that her beloved has a wife and four children. The Duchess becomes philosophic and decides to marry her original betrothed, Prince Paul, after all. To quote her own words, "What can one do? If you can't have those you could love, you must try to love those you can have." Instead of assassinating Fritz, the Duchess devises the lesser punishment of noisy serenades during his wedding night, and then hurries him off on

352-503: Is charming, though a veritable tyrant. She has been betrothed to the foppish Prince Paul but does not find him to her liking and, owing to her being in an unhappy state of mind over the affair, the Baron generates a war to amuse her. She decides to review her troops. There is a roll of drums, and the cry is started that the enemy is advancing, but it turns out to be her Highness. This visit proves fateful, for she falls desperately in love with

396-646: Is sent home safe to his wife and four children; and Prince Paul is happily restored as the Duchess's bridegroom. Among the recordings of the work, critics have praised a 1977 CBS issue conducted by Michel Plasson with Régine Crespin as the Grand Duchess. An older mono recording under René Leibowitz with Eugenia Zareska, though heavily cut, was well received when reissued on compact disc in 1982. A 2006 release from Virgin Classics conducted by Marc Minkowski with Felicity Lott contains much music cut after

440-578: The Savoy Theatre (libretto by J. M. Barrie and Arthur Conan Doyle ; music by Ernest Ford ). Next, in Gilbert and Sullivan's Utopia, Limited (1893–94), he created the role of Tarara, the public exploder. He then created his first starring role, Bobinet in André Messager 's Mirette (1894). He also performed in Utopia in the role of King Paramount on tour that year. He next created

484-510: The Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. It was conducted by Marc Minkowski and starred Felicity Lott , Sandrine Piau and Yann Beuron . Minkowski restored several numbers cut after the first production. A CD and a DVD of the production were made, and it was televised in France in 2004. Opera Philadelphia also mounted a production in 2004, starring Stephanie Blythe . Los Angeles Opera produced

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528-825: The D'Oyly Carte company went on tour in 1903. There he began a career in musical comedies , plays and pantomimes in London's West End and on tour that lasted for thirty years. He first appeared at the Adelphi Theatre , where he played Jim Cheese in the hit musical The Earl and the Girl (1903) and the Emperor in Little Hans Andersen (1903), then to the Lyric Theatre as Jerry Snipe in The Talk of

572-497: The Duchess's great displeasure by asking permission to marry Wanda at once. This proves the death-blow to the Duchess' devotion, and she conspires to assassinate Fritz upon his return from the wedding ceremony. When everything is ready for the bloody deed, however, the Duchess changes her mind, which is now busied with a new affair with the Baron Grog. Her love life seems to be forever ill-starred, however, for this latest romance

616-840: The Friedrich-Wilhelmstädtisches Theater, Berlin on 10 January 1868. The piece was first heard in New York City, in French, in September 1867 at the Théâtre Français, where it ran for six months. In November 1867 the opera appeared at Covent Garden , in an English translation by Charles Lamb Kenney , starring Julia Matthews in the title role; subsequent tours of that production starred Mrs Howard Paul and later Emily Soldene . The following year, making her London debut, Schneider triumphed in

660-601: The Girl (1903), The Talk of the Town (1905). He often appeared on stage with his second wife, Agnes Fraser . Passmore was born in London, the son of Louisa Emma née Bullock (1829–1902) and Alfred Passmore (1825–1889), a coffee house keeper. He became a choirboy at All Saints Church in Notting Hill . On Christmas morning 1881 he sang in Messiah , and the following day he made his first professional stage appearance at

704-858: The Savoy as the Usher in Trial by Jury , John Wellington Wells in The Sorcerer (1898) and King Ouf I in The Lucky Star (1899). After seeing Passmore's performance in The Lucky Star , Sullivan noted in his diary, "The fun of the whole piece lies in Passmore. Take him out and nothing's left. He worked splendidly and carried the opera through. I wish though he could drop his 'cockney' accent and manners at times." Passmore next played Sir Joseph in

748-1185: The Town (1905) and as Private Charlie Taylor in The Blue Moon (1905). His pantomimes at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane included Cinderella (1905, as the Baroness), Sinbad (1906, in the title role), and Babes in the Wood (1907, as Reggie, the boy babe). At the Apollo Theatre , he appeared in The Dairymaids (1906) and The Three Kisses (1907), and at the Queen's Theatre he played Baptiste Boubillon in The Belle of Brittany (1908). In 1909–10 Passmore toured as John Smith/Simplicitatis in The Arcadians and as Wilkins in Merrie England . In 1910 he played Frank,

792-580: The age of fourteen at Sunderland as a page in the pantomime Cinderella . He then served as an apprentice to the piano makers Cramer & Co , but at the end of the apprenticeship he took a job as a pianist with travelling concert parties and performed in farcical comedies. In 1889 in Wigan , Lancashire, he married Kathleen Naomi P. Nanton (1869–1901) and with her had four children: Naomi Kathleen Eugenie Passmore (1889–1889); Josephine Doris Passmore (born 1892); Mirette Louisa Passmore (1894–1970) (named after

836-414: The battle easily by making the whole opposing army drunk, his artillery consisting of 300,000 well-filled bottles. When he returns, crowned with victory, the delighted Duchess finds herself more enamored of him than ever, and hints at the possibility of his receiving other honors. However, she finds him a great blockhead in the matter, for he shows that he prefers his Wanda to such distinctions, and he incurs

880-495: The comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company . Passmore began performing professionally at the age of fourteen in the pantomime Cinderella . He was apprenticed to a piano maker and then worked as a pianist before returning to acting, making his London debut in 1890. In 1893 he joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, soon becoming the company's principal comedian. He created roles in

924-541: The extraordinarily rich monthly sum of 4,500 francs. Schneider, in addition to her vocal gifts, was well able to portray the commanding and saucy character of the Grand Duchess, which parodied Catherine the Great . The April 1867 premiere was an immediate hit, and a parade of European royalty, drawn to Paris by the Exposition, attended performances of the operetta. Among those attending were French emperor Napoleon III ;

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968-557: The first night and restored in Jean-Christophe Keck 's critical edition, including what the critic Andrew Lamb describes as "a substantial (and glorious) Act 2 finale". Hortense Schneider Hortense Catherine Schneider , La Snédèr , (30 April 1833 in Bordeaux, France – 5 May 1920, in Paris, France ) was a French soprano , one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with

1012-635: The future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom ; Tsar Alexander II of Russia and his son Grand Duke Vladimir ; Franz-Joseph , Emperor of Austria-Hungary ; Otto von Bismarck , the Prime Minister of Prussia ; and other crowned heads, generals, and ministers. Of the military satire in the piece, Bismarck remarked, " C'est tout-à-fait ça! " (That's exactly how it is!) Three years later the Franco-Prussian War broke out, and

1056-411: The interior until 1950. Schneider was the subject of the 1950 film La Valse de Paris by Marcel Achard , where she was played by Yvonne Printemps . [REDACTED] Media related to Hortense Schneider at Wikimedia Commons Walter Passmore Walter Henry Passmore (10 May 1867 – 29 August 1946) was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in

1100-583: The latter still running, Offenbach and his librettists hurried to prepare a new opera, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein , to play during the Paris Exposition ( Exposition universelle ) of 1867. Offenbach assisted Meilhac and Halévy in shaping the libretto. They were eager to ensure a hit, and so they engaged the immensely popular Hortense Schneider , who had created the title role in La Belle Hélène , among other Offenbach roles, paying her

1144-455: The manly, handsome soldier Fritz, whose main passions in life are his love for the pretty Wanda and his hatred of General Boum. The Duchess immediately makes Fritz a corporal, and as she grows more and more delighted with him, he is promoted rapidly to sergeant, lieutenant and captain. Finally, to spite the General, she makes him commander-in-chief and sends him to conquer the enemy. Fritz wins

1188-469: The opera Mirette he was appearing in at the time of her birth); and Walter Frederick Passmore (1896–1974). The following year, Passmore made his London debut in a revival of Dion Boucicault 's drama The Flying Scud at the Standard Theatre, Bishopsgate . Passmore joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1893, where he created the small part of Greg in the unsuccessful Jane Annie at

1232-478: The operetta was later banned in France, because of its antimilitarism , after the French defeat. The opera was first performed at the Théâtre des Variétés in Paris on 12 April 1867 and starred Hortense Schneider as the Duchess, who was highly successful in the title role. The work was given at the Theater an der Wien , Vienna, in a German version by Julius Hopp on 13 May 1867, starring Marie Geistinger , and at

1276-498: The original productions of the last two Gilbert and Sullivan operas and in many other Savoy Operas . He played the patter roles in several Gilbert and Sullivan revivals, and he toured for the company. In 1903 Passmore left the company and began a career in musical comedies , plays and pantomimes in the West End and on tour that lasted for thirty years. His West End appearances included roles in such productions as The Earl and

1320-620: The part of Boodel, earning good notices. He next played Jack Point in the first revival of The Yeomen of the Guard (1897). This was followed by the roles of General Boom in The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (1897–98) and the Grand Inquisitor , Don Alhambra, in revivals of The Gondoliers (1898). In 1898, he created the role of The Devil in the original production of The Beauty Stone . Passmore continued to play at

1364-601: The piece in 1982. The first performance of the Keck critical edition, which restored Offenbach's orchestration and opened the many cuts which had occurred in the score over the years, in particular to the long Act II finale, was given by Opéra du Rhin at the Strasbourg Théâtre Municipal in December 2003, conducted by Jérôme Pillemont. A production was designed and staged by Laurent Pelly in 2004 at

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1408-636: The piece in 2005, conducted by Emmanuel Villaume and starring Frederica von Stade , in a new version adapted and directed by Garry Marshall . Theater Basel had a production under Hervé Niquet with Anne Sofie von Otter in the title role in 2009. In 2011, both Opera Boston (starring Stephanie Blythe) and the Comic Opera Guild, near Detroit , Michigan presented the work. The 20-year-old Grand Duchess, who has been brought up by her tutor and court chamberlain Baron Puck to have her own way,

1452-912: The prison governor, in Johann Strauss 's Die Fledermaus in Thomas Beecham 's first opera season at His Majesty's Theatre . The production – one of the few works in the season not to lose money – "depended for its popularity in part upon Walter Passmore, the celebrated D'Oyly Carte droll". He appeared as Nikola in Baron Trenck at the Strand Theatre (1911). At the Woolwich Hippodrome in July 1914 he played Private Adam Blinder in The Soldiers' Mess , of which he

1496-641: The role of Boulotte in Barbe-bleue and the title roles in La belle Hélène , La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein and La Périchole , all resounding triumphs. She also appeared in London and Saint Petersburg , to great acclaim. An accomplished singer and actress, she was much admired for her brio and verve on stage, was the toast of the Second Empire and a favourite of royal visitors to Paris. La Snédèr

1540-580: The role of Peter Adolphus Grigg in Sullivan and Burnand 's The Chieftain (1894–1895). After this, he toured as Bobinet and Grigg. Passmore returned to the Savoy in 1895, where he continued as D'Oyly Carte's principal comedian, playing Ko-Ko in revivals of The Mikado (1895–97). In between these revivals, he created the role of Grand Duke Rudolph in Gilbert and Sullivan's last opera, The Grand Duke (1896). In 1897, in His Majesty , he created

1584-723: The role, in the first of several visits to the British capital. The opera was produced in English in New York City at the New York Theatre in 1868, at Wood's Museum and Metropolitan beginning on 14 November 1870, and at the Union Square Theatre from 3 July 1872. In 1869 the work was revived in Paris, with Zulma Bouffar in the lead. The opera was seen in Australia in 1873, starring Alice May , who also took

1628-929: The second revival of The Pirates of Penzance (1900) and in the first revival of Patience (1900–01), he was Bunthorne. He created the role of Professor Bunn in The Emerald Isle (1901), was Ping-Pong in The Willow Pattern (1901), and played the Lord Chancellor in the first revival of Iolanthe (1901–02). He created the role of Walter Wilkins in Merrie England (1902, and on tour) and played Puck in A Princess of Kensington (1903, and on tour). Passmore's theatrical performances were famous for their visual humour. George Baker remembered Passmore's Sergeant of Police as being "obstreperously funny". Passmore stayed in London when

1672-612: The title role at the Gaiety Theatre, London in 1876. Several productions were staged in New York in the early 1890s, the first one at the Casino Theatre . Another English adaptation was presented at the Savoy Theatre in London by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1897–98 with a new translation by Charles Brookfield and lyrics by Adrian Ross , starring Florence St. John , Florence Perry , Walter Passmore and Henry Lytton . The production ran for 104 performances, and

1716-517: The title role in 1972, and Donald Gramm and Richard Stilwell in both 1971 and 1972. Emmanuel Villaume conducted in 2013, with Susan Graham in the title role. A 1978 production was given at the Collegiate Theatre in London, produced by Park Lane Opera, starring Patricia Routledge and David Hillman , and conducted by Vilém Tauský . A French production starring Régine Crespin was televised in 1980, and New York City Opera mounted

1760-604: The works of composer Jacques Offenbach . Born in Bordeaux , where she studied with Schaffner, she made her debut in Agen in 1853, as Inès in La favorite . She came to Paris and was turned down by the director of the Théâtre des Variétés but was noticed by Jacques Offenbach who invited her to the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens , where she made her debut in 1855 in Le violoneux . She enjoyed immediate success and created for Offenbach

1804-520: Was also the composer. Passmore continued to appear in the West End and on tour throughout the 1920s. In 1922 he toured in Titbits , which was billed as "a somewhat different revue", of which he was co-author. During the First World War Passmore appeared in a variety of comedy parts in the West End and on tour, and at the Gaiety Theatre in April 1924 he played Jericho Mardyke in Our Nell . Later in that year he went on tour playing Cahoot in Madame Pompadour . A late Gilbert and Sullivan performance

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1848-460: Was in Trial by Jury at a benefit matinée for Courtice Pounds in 1927, when Passmore was joined by stars including Leslie Henson and Derek Oldham . During 1928, with his daughter Nancie in the cast, he appeared on tour as Albert Chuff in Princess Charming . A reviewer commented, "Few comedians have a more sonorous voice, few dance so well, and few have a larger experience". In 1929 Passmore toured as Count Theodore Volny in "The Damask Rose"

1892-468: Was reputedly one of King Edward VII's mistresses (because of the favours which she liberally granted to the members of the nobility, she was known as Le Passage des Princes .). She retired after her marriage in 1878 and died in Paris in 1920; her body rests at the Protestant cemetery in Bordeaux. Her house at 123 Avenue de Versailles was given to L'Orphelinat des Arts (The Association / Les Enfants des Arts) in her will, with an instruction not to change

1936-443: Was reviewed as vivacious, but sanitised and "prudish". There were revivals in Paris at the Variétés in the 1880s and 1890s, with stars including Jeanne Granier . Productions during the 20th century included one at Daly's Theatre in London in 1937. In the U.S., there were several presentations by the Santa Fe Opera in 1971, which were repeated in 1972, 1974, 1979 and 2013. The singers for Santa Fe included Huguette Tourangeau in

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