La Belle Hélène

From the evening of its premiere on December 17, 1864 at the Théâtre des Variétés, La Belle Hélène met with a success that has never been denied since. It must be said that the story of the young shepherd, Pâris, who received from Venus the possibility of being loved by the most beautiful woman in the world and who thus provokes the general emotion of the female population is irresistible, so much so that the hilarious parodic tale of the librettists Halévy and Meilhac is talented and the richness of Offenbach's musical invention at its peak. The success of the work can be summed up neither in the buffoonish verve nor in the pastiche of Meyerbeer-style grand opera, but in its melodic richness, in this musical poise that balances distancing and emotion, derision and sensuality, which are all qualities that make La Belle Hélène a pure moment of pleasure, to be enjoyed in full without restraint.

COPRODUCTION Théâtre des Champs-Elysées / Les Grandes Voix