The joke marriage
| Work data | |
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| Title: | The joke marriage |
| Shape: | operetta |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Franz Lehár |
| Libretto : | Julius Bauer |
| Premiere: | December 21, 1904 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater an der Wien, Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | America around 1900 |
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The Juxheirat is an operetta in three acts by the composer Franz Lehár and the librettist Julius Bauer . This play had its world premiere on December 21, 1904 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna .
action
- Act 1 - Park of Brockwiller's mansion in Newport
Selma, the daughter of billionaire Brockwiller, recently became a widow. Disappointed with her marriage, she never wants to marry again and has therefore founded the “Los vom Manne” (LVM) association with her friends Edith, Phoebe and Euphrasia.
Phoebe and Euphrasia then get into an argument when each of them recognizes the man in Brockwiller's chauffeur Philly Kaps who had given them both a marriage promise. When Philly secretly speaks to Phoebe and is reconciled with her, Euphrasia is furious and has Philly arrested by the police.
The billionaire Brockwiller wants his daughter Selma to marry off his business friend, the German-American Harold von Reckenburg. But Selma strictly refuses and insists on her self-chosen celibacy. Harold's sister Juliane learns of Selma's refusal to marry and wants to play a prank on her because of it. Juliane was once engaged to a young man who had broken off this engagement and married Selma when he heard about her dowry.
Disguised and under a false name, Juliane visits Selma and is accepted into the LVM. At a meeting she happened to mention what she supposedly learned about Harold's sister Juliane. She had often been seen in public in men's clothing and she would have gone looking for a bride in the name of her brother.
The amusement is great; especially when Selma decides to receive the pseudo-Harold in her boudoir; since she thinks he's a woman. Father Brockwiller is delighted when he hears that his daughter wants to meet her potential bridegroom after all.
- Act 2 - Ballroom of Villa Brockwiller
Euphrasia regrets her betrayal of Philly Kaps and spontaneously kidnaps him from the remand prison. When they arrive at Villa Brockwiller, Philly meets Harold and the two start a conversation. Philly gives Harold cocky advice on how to win a woman's heart. To illustrate the whole thing, Philly asks Harold to do a little role play in which Harold is supposed to play a woman.
Selma happens to overhear this and is now completely convinced that Harold is a woman. So she continues her prank and even lets Harold kiss her - in front of witnesses. She explains to her surprised father that she regards this kiss as an engagement kiss. Billionaire Brockwiller is happy and of course insists on an immediate marriage. His friend and Sheriff Huckland, who happens to be present, agrees and, by virtue of his office, performs this ceremony in accordance with the applicable laws.
At the subsequent wedding celebration, Juliane appears as Countess von Reckenburg and reveals the hoax. Selma now learns, to her great horror, that she is legally married to a man. Angry, she leaves her wedding party and takes refuge in her friend Phoebe, who was also privy to this prank.
- Act 3 - Brockwiller's Hunting Lodge in the Mountains (three months later)
The Bund LVM has dissolved. Edith has since married Browiller's outcast nephew and received a $ 100,000 dowry from Brockwiller. Arthur married his Juliane and Philly his Phoebe. During this time Selma had retired to her father's hunting lodge in the mountains.
But all couples have agreed to spend their honeymoon together in this hunting lodge. All day long Selma is surrounded by turtling people and she becomes jealous of their luck. She wants her husband Harold back ever more intensely. He finally comes to the hunting lodge and wants to talk to Selma. He does not insist on their marriage and has already drawn up a divorce agreement. Selma tears it up and after a declaration of love from Harold she falls into his arms, laughing.
admission
The label CPO has released a complete recording of this operetta. The Franz Lehár Orchestra and the choir of the Lehár Festival Bad Ischl play and sing under the direction of Marius Burkert . Maya Boog and Jevgenij Taruntsov will sing the leading roles .
Music numbers
The following music numbers of the operetta, which are based on Lehár's score, are taken from the booklet of the CD recording mentioned above:
No. 1 Introduction: Enough, you're blowing my ears up
No. 2 Quintet: The air is clean
No. 3 Harold's performance song: So here's the area
No. 4 Arietta and Terzettino: So you, my sweetest master
No. 5 song: Please later
No. 6 Duet: O you bad guy
Finale I: It sounds like a fairy tale
No. 7 1/2 Entr'act (Prelude to Act 2)
No. 8 Terzettino and Lied: No, this time they should ...
No. 9 Duet: My knight must be an artist
No. 10 Musical dialogue and madrigal: They seem real to me
No. 11 Interlude: What could one think of?
# 12 Arthur's Song: So It Would Be True
No. 13 Kiss Lesson: What are you procrastinating
No. 14 Tanzterzett: By God I wanted ...
No. 15 Finale II
No. 15 1/2 Entr'act (Prelude to Act 3)
No. 16 Introduction: I trim and clean the edge of the nail
No. 17 Phoebe's Arietta: Why fight the man
No. 18 Couplet: Went a boy
No. 19 Finale III
reception
The joke was Lehár's fourth operetta and is the last before the appearance of the Merry Widow . The controversial text book of the operetta was one reason that this work could not establish itself in the long term. Another reason was the huge success of the Merry Widow, which surpassed many contemporary operettas, including the joke marriage. Today the operetta is rarely played. Individual numbers are occasionally performed at concerts.
literature
- Franz Lehár: The joke marriage. Operetta with three acts . Wienberger, Leipzig 1904.
- Leo Melitz: Guide through the operetta . Globus-Verlag, Berlin 1917, pp. 96-97.