Opera Franz Lehar "The Marry Widow" (Die lustige Witwe) (operetta in 3 acts) Brilliant Classical Stanislavsky Ballet and Opera theatre (established 1887, founded by Stanislavsky)
Schedule for Franz Lehar "The Marry Widow" (Die lustige Witwe) (operetta in 3 acts) 2022
Composer: Franz Lehar
Orchestra: Stanislavsky theatre symphony orchestra
The Marry Widow operetta in 3 acts Music - Franz Lehar
Stage
Director - Adolf Shapiro Musical Director and Conductor - Wolf Gorelik
Set Design - Alexander Shishkin Costume Design - Elena Stepanova
Choreography - Oleg Glushkov Lighting - Gleb
Filshtinsky
Premiere January 20, 2013
The Merry
Widow (Die lustige
Witwe) is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz
Lehбr. The librettists, Viktor Lйon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning
a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality
by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play, L'attache
d'ambassade (The Embassy Attachй) by Henri Meilhac.
The operetta has
enjoyed extraordinary international success since its 1905 premiere in Vienna
and continues to be frequently revived and recorded. Film and other adaptations
have also been made. Well-known music from the score includes the "Vilja Song",
"Da geh' ich zu Maxim" ("You'll Find Me at Maxim's"), and the "Merry Widow
Waltz".
The operetta was
first performed at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 30 December 1905 with
Mizzi Gunther as Hanna, Louis Treumann as Danilo, Siegmund Natzler as Baron Zeta
and Annie Wьnsch as Valencienne. It was Lehбr's first major success, becoming
internationally the best-known operetta of its era. Lehбr subsequently made
changes for productions in London in 1907 (two new numbers), and Berlin in the
1920s, but the definitive version is basically that of the original
production.
The operetta toured
Austria and in 1906 enjoyed productions in Hamburg's Neues Operetten-Theater,
Berlin's Berliner Theater (starring Gustav Matzner as Danilo and Marie Ottmann
as Hanna, who made the first complete recording in 1907), and Budapest's Magyar
Szinhaz. Its English adaptation by Basil Hood, with lyrics by Adrian Ross,
became a sensation in London in 1907 and ran for an extraordinary 778
performances, followed by extensive British tours. The first performance in
Paris was at the Theatre Apollo on 28 April 1909. Many international
productions, as well as revivals followed, as did sequels, spoofs and film
versions.
The operetta
originally had no overture; Lehбr wrote one for the Vienna Philharmonic to
perform at his 70th birthday concert in April 1940. (c) Wikipedia Synopsis
Act
1
The embassy in Paris
of the poverty-stricken Grand Duchy of Pontevedro is holding a ball to celebrate
the birthday of the sovereign, the Grand Duke. Hanna Glawari, who has inherited
twenty million francs from her late husband, is to be a guest at the ball and
the ambassador, Baron Zeta, wants to ensure that she will marry another
Pontevedrian and keep her fortune in the country, so that Pontevedro would be
saved from bankruptcy. Baron Zeta has in mind Count Danilo Danilovitsch, the
First Secretary of the embassy, but his plans are not going well. Danilo is not
at the party, so Zeta sends Njegus, the embassy secretary, to fetch him from
Maxim's.
Danilo finally arrives and meets Hanna. It emerges that they were in love
before her marriage, but his uncle interrupted their romance because Hanna had
absolutely nothing to her name. Although they still love each other, Danilo
refuses to court Hanna because of her fortune and Hanna vows she will not marry
him until he says "I love you".
Meanwhile, Baron Zeta's wife Valencienne has been flirting with the French
attachй to the embassy, Count Camille de Rosillon, who writes "I love you" on
her fan. Valencienne puts off Camille's advances, saying that she is a
respectable wife. However, they lose the incriminating fan, which is found by
Kromow (who jealously fears that the fan belongs to his wife, Olga), who then
gives the fan to Baron Zeta. Not recognising Valencienne's fan, Baron Zeta
decides to return the fan to Olga, in spite of Valencienne's desperate offers to
take the fan and return it, herself.
On his way to see Olga, the Baron meets Danilo, and his diplomatic mission
takes precedence over the fan. The Baron orders Danilo to marry Hanna. Refusing
to concede to the Baron's demands, Danilo offers to eliminate any
non-Pontevedrian suitors as a compromise.
The "Ladies' Choice" dance is about to start, and all the men are hovering
around Hanna, hoping to be her choice of partner for the dance. Valencienne has
decided to get Camille to marry Hanna so that he will not be a temptation, and
therefore volunteers Camille as a partner to Hanna for her "Ladies' Choice"
dance. Danilo goes to the ballroom to round up some of the other ladies to claim
dances with the hopeful suitors of Hanna. Even after the ladies have made their
choices, there are still some suitors left behind. Hanna chooses the one man who
is apparently not interested in dancing with her – Danilo. Danilo refuses to
dance, but claims the dance anyway. He puts the dance up for sale for ten
thousand francs, with the proceeds of the sale to go to charity. This eliminates
the interest of the would-be suitors in the dance. After the suitors have left,
Danilo attempts to dance with Hanna. Hanna, annoyed at his response to her
choosing him for the "Ladies' Choice", refuses to dance with him. Nonchalantly,
Danilo begins to waltz by himself, eventually wearing down Hanna's resistance,
and she falls into his arms.
Act 2
Act 2 is set at a
party in the garden at Hanna's house, to celebrate the birthday of the Grand
Duke in Pontevedrian fashion, and everybody is dressed in Pontevedrian clothing.
Hanna entertains by singing an old Pontevedrian song, the famous "Vilja Song"
('Es lebt' eine Vilja, ein Waldmдgdelein'). Meanwhile, Baron Zeta fears that
Camille is a threat to his plan for Hanna to marry a Pontevedrian. Still not
recognising the fan as Valencienne's, the Baron orders Danilo to find out the
identity of its owner, whom he assumes to be Camille's married lover. A meeting
is arranged between Zeta, Danilo and Njegus, to discuss the identity of the
owner of the fan and also the problem with regard to the widow, with the meeting
to be held that evening in Hanna's garden pavilion. Hanna sees the fan, and
thinks the message on it is Danilo's declaration of love for her, which he
denies. Danilo's inquiries about the identity of the owner of the fan result in
revelations of the details of the infidelities of some of the wives of Embassy
personnel, but do not reveal the identity of the owner of the fan.
That evening, Camille
and Valencienne meet in the garden. Valencienne continues to resist Camille's
advances, declaring that they must part. Camille begs for a keepsake, and
discovers the fan, which Danilo had accidentally left behind, after his
inquiries. Camille begs Valencienne to let him keep the fan as the keepsake, and
Valencienne agrees, after writing "I'm a highly respectable wife" on the fan in
response to Camille's earlier written declaration of "I love you". Camille
persuades Valencienne to enter the same pavilion in which Danilo, the Baron and
Njegus had arranged to meet with him, so that they can say their goodbyes in
private. Njegus, who arrives first for the meeting, discovers that Camille is in
the pavilion with Valencienne. Njegus locks the door to the pavilion when Danilo
and Baron Zeta arrive, and delays their entry to the pavilion. The Baron peeps
through the keyhole, and is upset when he recognises his own wife. Njegus
arranges with Hanna to change places with Valencienne. Camille leaves the
pavilion followed by Hanna, confounding the Baron when they appear. Hanna
announces that she is to marry Camille, leaving the Baron distraught at the
thought of losing the Pontevedrian millions and Valencienne distraught at losing
Camille. Danilo is furious and tells the story of a Princess who cheated on her
Prince ('Es waren zwei Kцnigskinder') and then storms off to seek the
distractions at Maxim's. Hanna realises that his anger at the announcement of
her engagement shows that Danilo loves her and rejoices among the general
despair.
Act 3
Act 3 is set at a theme party in Hanna's ballroom, which she has
decorated as Maxim's, complete with Maxim's grisettes (can-can dancers).
Valencienne, who has dressed herself as a grisette, entertains the guests ('Ja,
wir sind es, die Grisetten'). When Danilo arrives, having found the real Maxim's
empty, he tells Hanna to give up Camille for the sake of the country. Much to
Danilo's delight, Hanna tells him that she was never engaged to Camille, but
that she was protecting the reputation of a married woman. Danilo is ready to
declare his love for Hanna, and is on the point of doing so when he remembers
her money, and stops himself. When Njegus produces the fan, which he had picked
up earlier, Baron Zeta suddenly remembers that the fan belongs to Valencienne.
Baron Zeta swears to divorce his wife and marry the widow himself, but Hanna
tells him that she loses her fortune if she remarries. Hearing this, Danilo
confesses his love for her and asks Hanna to marry him, and Hanna triumphantly
points out that she will lose her fortune only because it will become the
property of her husband. Valencienne produces the fan and assures Baron Zeta of
her fidelity by reading out what she had replied to Camille's declaration: 'Ich
bin eine anstдndige Frau' ('I'm a respectable wife'); and all ends
happily.
Schedule for Franz Lehar "The Marry Widow" (Die lustige Witwe) (operetta in 3 acts) 2022
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