La Haine (Hatred) is a drama in five acts and eight tableaux by Victorien Sardou, premiered at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in Paris on 3 December 1874. Jacques Offenbach, director of the theatre, composed extensive incidental music for chorus and orchestra to accompany the play.

Background

Offenbach had composed songs and incidental music for eleven classical and modern dramas for the Comédie Française in the early 1850s, gaining valuable experience in writing for the theatre.Harding, James. Jacques Offenbach. John Calder, London, 1980, p. 54. Sardou and Offenbach created their first joint work in 1872 with the opéra-bouffe-féerie Le Roi Carotte, which ran for 195 performances,Yon, Jean-Claude. Jacques Offenbach. Gallimard, Paris, 2000, page 444: "La pièce n’en effectue pas moins une très brillante carrière puisqu’elle ne quittera l’affiche que le 28 juillet, à la cent quatre-vingt-quinzième représentation." and this encouraged the two to renew their collaboration.

By 1874, Jacques Offenbach had become the director of the Théâtre de la Gaîté. To follow a revival of Orphée aux Enfers on 7 February, he decided to mount Sardou's drame using the under-used theatrical troupe at the theatre.Yon, Jean-Claude. Jacques Offenbach. Gallimard, Paris, 2000, page 493.

Rehearsal

Orphée aux Enfers closed on the 18 November to allow the rehearsals for La Haine to start, directed by Sardou himself who did not spare his efforts. Le Figaro reported that "Sardou is the most meticulous director in the world" and that he "places particular importance on the extras being actively involved as much as any of the actors."Le Figaro n°314, 25 November 1874. Rehearsals increased and the dress rehearsal took place on 27 November.Le Figaro n°317, 28 November 1874

The premiere was announced for the 29 November, but was postponed on the day itself, due to the flu epidemic in the capital which indisposed two principal actors, Lafontaine et Clément Just. First of all it was postponed until 30 November but only took place on Thursday 3 December,Le Figaro n°324, 5 December 1874, but as the actors had not completely recovered, Sardou cut the final scene.Le Figaro n°328, 9 December 1874 "(…) between the dress rehearsal and the premiere, I took the bold step of cutting my final scene (…)"

Reception

The premiere audience marvelled at the magnificence of the production. The scenery was especially dazzling. Francisque Sarcey noted "It is only right to recognize that, of the décors, several are masterpieces of exquisite taste; the cathedral dome is a marvel of lightness and grave; the inside of the church is superb."Quarante ans de Théâtre (Feuilletons Dramatiques), article La Haine, 7 December 1874, Francisque Sarcey, Bibliothèque des Annales, Paris 1901.

Everything was done to dazzle : dramatist and composer went so far as to transport a Cavaillé-Coll organ into the theatre. The settings were grand and impressive: the stage accommodated 535 persons.:Le Gaulois n°2243 of 5 December 1874. "The war-cries of the soldiers, the moans of the terrified women, the clanking of armour, the booming of guns, the conquerors' entrance in the city, the sacking of the palace, all was of an exact and admirable motion."Le Gaulois n°2244 of 6 December 1874.

The words of Victorien Sardou were also noted, but critics commented that the direction was rather against the drama. Francisque Sarcey regretted that the principal roles appeared crushed : "The supernumeraries and props are too prominent. The crowd is the principal character. Tableaux follow tableaux, and in this new work, they are equally dark."

For Auguste Vitu the play evoked painful memories of 1870 : "Streets full of bodies, palaces in flames, the homeland forsaken in the presence of the dumbfounded foreigner, and as if scandalized by so many distractions, such are the unforgettable sights which our consciousness is still soured, and of which our hearts still bleed. The widows and orphans in black, I have seen them bowed in our churches, the air rent with their sobs. The door of deathly memory re-opens wide within us; and sadness envelops us with its great black wings."Le Figaro n°325 of 6 December 1874.

While receipts came to around 8,000 francs per performance in mid-December,Le Figaro n°334 of 15 December 1874 they fell to around 5,000 francs during the second fortnightLe Figaro n°339 of 20 December 1874. On 28 December Le Figaro printed a letter from Sardou requesting that Offenbach recall his piece from the stage; Offenbach replied that as the public prefer lively art he would bring back Orphée.Le Figaro n°347 of 28 December 1874. The announcement had the effect of filling the theatre for the last performances of La Haine. After 27 performances the play closed on 29 December 1874 and Orphée aux Enfers was brought back.Le Figaro n°1 of 1 January 1875. The short run left the theatre in a parlous financial position. Some costumes were used in the revised version of Geneviève de Brabant which opened on 25 February 1875.Le Figaro n°350 of 31 December 1874.

Despite the failure, Sardou and Offenbach did contemplate a further collaboration on a spectacular production of the playwright's Don Quichotte.

A modern performance with reduced text but complete score took place on 19 July 2009 at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier Languedoc Roussillon, with Fanny Ardant and Gérard Depardieu playing Cordelia and Orso. The concert was broadcast on France Musique on 30 July 2009.Concert notice on France Culture site. Accessed 25 July 2013.

Pictures from the original production

First cast ORSOMM.Lafontaine GIUGURTA SARACINIClément-Just ERCOLE, his frèreReynald LODRISIO MARISCOTTIAngelo AZZOLINO, Bishop of SiennaDugaril BRAGUELLA, merchantCourcellesMALERBA} Guelph chiefsScipionSPLENDIANOJ. VizentiniUGONEAntoninSOZZINI} Ghibelline chiefsSudracPICCOLOMINIAlexandre filsTOLOMEIBilhautMALAVOLTIHenriBUONOCORSO} Guelph soldiersGalliZANINOBarsagolSCARLONEChevallier MASTINOGaspard LE LOMBARDHenri LE PÉROUSIENBarsagol LE FLORENTINMeyronnet LE LUCQUOISColleuille LE BOLONAISMallet LE PISANGaspard CRISTOFOROPaulin UN CHANOINESeligny UN MOINEBilhaut CORDELIA, sister of Giugurta and Ercole SaraciniLia Félix UBERTA, her nurseLaurence Grivot ANDREINO, son of Uberta, 15 years oldMarie Godin PORCIAAngèle

Music

In 2006 the autograph orchestral score of the incidental music was found in the archive of the Offenbach family. Some early sketches preserved in the Archives Historiques de la ville de Cologne were destroyed in an accident on 3 March 2009. Jean-Christophe Keck, responsible for the 2009 critical edition, commented that "Offenbach composed a rich score of 30 numbers. The first sketches were noted down while travelling in his barouche where he had set up a work-table - the manuscripts bear witness to the jumping pen as it rode over Parisian cobbles. It consists of many mélodrames, off-stage choruses, interludes...".

During Offenbach's tour of the US, he conducted with much success the Marche religieuse from La Haine for American audiences.Édition critique sur le site Boosey & Hawkes

Keck notes that just before he died, Offenbach recalled the opening of the overture to La Haine in the opening bars of the finale of the Venetian act from Contes d'Hoffmann.

NumberTitleTempoCue wordsNotesACT INº 1IntroductionAllegro maestosoNº 2ModeratoJe suis seule ici, je n'ai que lui, laisse le moi ! (Scène IV)Nº 3AllegroLeads from N°2On-stage fanfareNº 4[A l'assaut !] Victoire ! à nous la ville ! (Scène XI)ACT II — Premier TableauNº 5EntracteAgitatoNº 6Allegro moderatoAu moindre soupçon de trahison ! C'est dit ! Allez ! (Scène II)Nº 7AndanteAh ! Je me meurs ! (Scène IV)Cut in performance and included in Nº 8Nº 8Close of Premier TableauAndanteACT II — Deuxième TableauNº 9EntracteAllegro MaestosoRepeat cut at the premiere.Nº 10AndanteL'enfant descend avec l'Évangile ouvert. (Scène I)Nº 11Sponsa Dei[Andante]Qu'il le soit ! (Scène II)2 versions of several barsACT III — Premier TableauNº 12[Allegro marziale]Nº 12 bisDouce MadoneAndantinoNº 13Le marché ne tient plus, tu es trop lâche ! (Scène II)Nº 13 bisAllegrettoDu courage, chrétienne, et au revoir. (Scène III)Nº 13 terAllegroVous, à vos postes, sans bruit. Allez ! (Scène VI)Nº 14ModeratoAprès les cloches.Nº 14 bisAllegroLeads from N°14ACTE III — Deuxième TableauNº 15AndanteViens, je ne recommencerai pas ce que j'ai fait. (Scène X du Premier Tableau)Nº 16AllegroJ'ai prié pour toi. (Scène II)2 versions of several barsACTE IV — Premier TableauNº 17ModeratoNº 18AndanteIl le faut. Viens [Giugurta] (Scène IV)Nº 19AllegroVa combattre la guerre. (Scène V)ACT IV — Deuxième TableauNº 20AgitatoNº 21[Promenade des reliques]ModeratoNº 22 ALentoLeads from N°21First version abandonedN° 22 BAndanteLeads from N°21Final version[Nº 22 bis]Marche religieuse[Allegro marziale]Nº 23ACT VNº 24EntracteAllegroNº 25AndantinoNº 25 bisAndanteLeads from N°25Nº 26Moderato… à la porte romaine nos troupes victorieuses. (Scène II)This number does not occur in Sardou's play.Nº 27ModeratoMadone, sauve-moi ! (Scène III)Nº 26 bisPetite MarcheMaestosoNº 28Gloire au vainqueurOrchestre tacetNº 29Orchestre tacetNº 30 AEt maintenant, mort, quand tu voudras ! (Scène VII)First version abandonedNº 30 BFinal versionSUPPLÉMENTNº 28First version abandoned

Synopsis

The action takes place in Siena in 1369. Historically, the Republic of Siena has passed through much civil unrest and political upheavals at that period, and in general Siena tended to be Ghibelline, in opposition to Florence's Guelph position. The play's specific events and its main characters are, however, fictional.

In the 13th century, (this conflict formed the backdrop for some of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, completed in 1320).

Act I

A crossroads near the rue Camollia. On the outskirts of Sienna, the banned Guelphs and the reigning Ghibellines fight. The Guelphs are led by Orso who had been banished for having dared to throw a garland to the Ghibelline Cordelia Saracini. From the battle the guelfes emerge victorious at the portcullis of the Saracini palace. Orso demands that Cordelia appear at the balcony and open the gates to the town. Cordelia replies to him: « … now is not the time to open the gates, when thieves are in the town! » Orso give orders for an assault, the gate rises and he enters the Saracini palace bent on vengeance. Rather than throw Cordelia from the window as the screaming crowd demands, he drags her half-strangled back into the palace.

Act II

Premier tableau – a great hall in the Seigniory palace. Despite their apparent victory, the Guelphs only control but half of the city. Among the dead on the Ghibelline side is Andreino, the fifteen-year-old son of Uberta, Cordelia's old nurse. The Guelphs request a truce in order to tend to the injured and bury the dead : plague is feared. The Saracini palace is on fire. Cordelia comes back, alive, but tells her brothers Ercole and Giugurta, as well as her nurse, that she has been raped by a man of whom all she can remember is the voice.

Deuxième tableau – the cathedral square. Guelphs and Ghibellines attend the solemn mass for the Virgin in the cathedral. At the point of coming to blows, the Bishop Azzolino steps forward and upbraids them : « Siennois, is this what you call a truce for the Virgin ? Church is God's house alone ! – Faithless and unworthy Christians put your weapons down or I will close these doors and will open them only to admit your coffins! » They defer in the face of the threat; Orso only speaking a word but it is enough for Cordelia to recognize as she follows the men into the church.

Act III