The Duchess of Chicago
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| Title: | The Duchess of Chicago |
| Original title: | The Duchess of Chicago |
| Shape: | operetta |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Emmerich Kálmán |
| Libretto : | Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald |
| Premiere: | April 5, 1928 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater an der Wien , Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | A fictional Balkan state (Sylvarien) in the 1920s |
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The Duchess of Chicago is an operetta in two acts with prologue and epilogue by the composer Emmerich Kálmán and the librettists Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald . The premiere took place on April 5, 1928 in the Theater an der Wien in Vienna .
action
Mary Lloyd is a wealthy American. She believes that money can buy anything. She bets her friends that she will marry a prince by her next birthday. For this reason she leaves her American homeland and travels to the fictional kingdom of Sylvarien. The projectionist James Bondy is supposed to accompany her as her secretary and also to film her efforts to find a prince. In addition, a whole jazz band is going on a trip to Europe, which will soon be performing in Vienna and Budapest with great success. In Sylvarien, Mary meets the Hereditary Prince Sandor, who is currently trying to sell his castle under a false name in order to raise foreign currency for his indebted country. Mary soon learns the real identity of the lock seller and approaches him. Despite his rejection of the achievements of the New World and especially of Mary's beloved jazz, he also takes a liking to her and has her appointed Duchess of Chicago . Meanwhile, Bondy falls in love with Princess Rosemarie, the cousin of the Hereditary Prince. There are still a few misunderstandings and conflicts between Mary and Sandor before this couple can also be found. Thus, in the end, a bridge will be built between the Old and the New World .
reception
The work lives, among other things, from the tension between the elements of classic Viennese operettas such as waltzes, csárdás, or Viennese songs on the one hand and the jazz newly introduced into the operetta. Charleston and Foxtrot also found their way into this operetta. It was well received by the public, but like all works by Emmerich Kálmán, it was banned by the National Socialists. After the war, the work occasionally returned to the repertoire of theaters. In the 2018/19 season it was played in Leipzig, Regensburg and Bremerhaven. In October 2018, the Leipzig production of the operetta received the BR-Klassik-Frosch award .
Sound carrier
In January 2003 a complete recording of the work (2 CDs) was released on the Decca label. The Radio Symphonie Orchester Berlin and the Rundfunkchor Berlin played and sang under the direction of Richard Bonynge . The soloists included Endrik Wottrich , Monica Groop , Deborah Riedel and Brett Polegato.
Music numbers
The operetta contains the following musical numbers:
- Charleston, Charleston dance today! (Choir)
- Viennese music, Viennese music could once beguile the world! (Prince and choir)
- We ladies from America are also in love here and there! (Mary and Choir)
- Bobby, now play something for me! (Ensemble and choir)
- Jazz, that's the fashion, the method, always just jazz (ensemble and choir)
- Those were the days! (Ensemble and choir)
- Entr'acte (orchestra)
- The song of the homeland roars powerfully in your honor today! (Choir)
- When the guard marches briskly through the city (prince and children's choir)
- And in Chicago, you know what's going on! (Duet: Mary and Bondy)
- O Rosmarie, o Rosmarie! (Duet: Rosemarie and Prince)
- Poor prince, poor prince, I'm sorry! (Duet: Mary and Prince)
- Oh that would be nice, Mister Bondy! That would be good, Mister Bondy! (Duet: Rosemarie and Bondy)
- How it is sent from fine people (ensemble and choir)
- Entr'acte (orchestra)
- A little slow fox with Mary over cocktail and sherry, that would be my ideal! (Song and dance of Mary)
- The Lord God only thought up the waltz for lovers (duet: Mary and Prince)
- We ladies from the new world (ensemble and choir)
- Yes, the jazz band is already playing in heaven, all the angels are dancing Fox! (Duet: Rosemarie and Bondy)
- Come in my little love boat, you rose of the prairie! (Duet: Mary and Prince)
- Be embraced you millions, today there are still sensations (ensemble and choir)
- Entr'acte (orchestra)
- Charleston, Charleston dance the world (choir)
- Those were the days! - recapitulation (prince)
- Viennese music, Viennese music could once beguile the world! - recapitulation (prince)
- Come in my little love boat, you rose of the prairie! - recapitulation (prince)
- Voulez vous Hoppsassachen, voulez vous with Papachen (duet: Mary and Pankraz)
- A little slow fox with Mary over cocktail and sherry, that would be my ideal! (Ensemble and choir)