La Princesse de Trébizonde

The composition of La Princesse de Trébizonde was a real headache for Offenbach, who, in his correspondence, seems to complain about the too irregular presence of his librettists. Inspired – mainly for the title – by the legendary Byzantine princess Theodora Comnena, the libretto by Nuitter and Tréfeu is based on the usual dramatic device of disguise. To save her father’s wax exhibition, Zanetta takes the place of the Princess of Trebizond, the centrepiece of the collection, whose nose she accidentally broke. But this is without counting on the arrival of Prince Raphael, who falls in love with the statue and wishes to acquire it. Within this falsely stilted situation, the score explores a double musical register, by turns sentimental and comic. The melodic writing is particularly refined, and Offenbach’s orchestral skills express themselves in its most beautiful brilliance. La Princesse de Trébizonde was premiered in some haste on 31 July 1869 in Baden-Baden, before a select audience. Offenbach received a long ovation, but there was much reticence about the libretto, and Tréfeu himself acknowledged that “there is a lot that needs to be redone”. Thus, the new version was not ready for the opening of the season at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, where the French premiere only took place after lengthy reworking, on 7 December 1869. This proved beneficial, as the work gained in clarity and interest. The critics were very enthusiastic and the journalist Émile Blavet pledged that Offenbach would be able to “present himself at the last judgment with Orphée in one hand and La Princesse de Trébizonde in the other”.