Rigoletto, 2008 Photo: J. Reeder

Ba-Ta-Clan

By Jacques Offenbach

Libretto by Ludovic Halévy

Time: Unspecified
Place: The gardens of the Emperor’s palace in China

A chorus of conspirators is on stage singing about their conspiracy, but, since they are singing in Chinese (or, rather, pseudo-Chinese), it is most difficult to understand what the action is all about. It transpires eventually that this conspiracy is led by the chief of the imperial guard, Ko-ko-ri-ko, and is aimed at dethroning Fe-ni-han, Emperor of the country of Che-i-no-or (with its 47 subjects). After suitable plotting, the girl mandarin Fe-an-nich-ton, being left alone, surreptitiously pulls a French illustrated novel from the folds of her robe. When she is discovered in this pursuit by the mandarin Ke-ki-ka-ko, it turns out that neither of them is Chinese, but that both are actually French: Ke-ki-ka-ko is in reality the Vicomte Alfred de Cerisy, from Paris, who was shipwrecked on these shores years ago; Fe-an-nich-ton is also from Paris, where she was the chanteuse Virginie Durand; while the theatrical troupe she sang with was performing in the Orient, she was kidnapped by the soldiers of Emperor Fe-ni-han. The two fall in each other’s arms and nostalgically sing of the joys of Paris. They decide to flee together.
The conspirators return on stage, but are chased away by the Emperor Fe-ni-han. Left alone, the sovereign in turn bewails his fate; he too is French, Anastase Nourrisson from Brive-la-Gaillarde, and does not enjoy ruling over the Chinese people so far from his homeland, especially since he realizes that a conspiracy is being mounted against him.

General Ko-ko-ri-ko now arrives with Fe-an-nich-ton and Ke-ki-ka-ko, who have been captured, and demands their execution (in Italian, of course, since this is done in Grand Opera style). Fe-ni-han can do nothing but pronounce the death sentence, and the two young Parisians sing one last time the “Song of Florette”. When he hears the strains of the French song, Fe-ni-han is overjoyed at finding fellow countrymen and secretly tells them he is also French; since he wants only to return to France, he suggests that Ke-ki-ka-ko take his place on the throne, leaving him free to leave.

The false mandarin adamantly refuses, and, when the Emperor says that he will then be impaled, threatens to sing the National Anthem, the Ba-Ta-Clan, which will summon the conspirators. Since this anthem is incredibly bewitching, even Fe-ni-han joins in the singing, though he knows it signals his end.
All seems hopeless when, in the middle of the anthem, a letter is brought to the Emperor from the chief conspirator. It turns out that Ko-ko-ri-ko, too, was born in Paris (on the rue Mouffetard), and will help his fellow Frenchmen escape. In order to keep his power in China, he will not reveal his true identity, but all is set for the escape, with rickshaw relays from Peking to Paris.

Overjoyed, the Frenchmen join in singing the final chorus of the Ba-Ta-Clan.

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