About the work
Die verwandelte Katze (La chatte métamorphosée en femme) is a one-act opéra bouffe by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Mélesville after a fable by Jean de La Fontaine. It premiered on 19 April 1858 at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris.
Plot
The impoverished nobleman Guido lavishes all his affection on his pet cat and overlooks the love of his cousin Minette. With the help of an Indian magician, Minette has herself transformed into the cat and, by this roundabout route, finally wins Guido's heart after all.
Cultural significance
The role of Minette calls for virtuoso coloratura singing and kept the piece popular long after its premiere; around 1880 Joseph Hellmesberger the younger reworked the story as a three-act ballet, and several German adaptations appeared over the course of the nineteenth century.