Gasparone
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Gasparone |
| Shape: | Singspiel |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Carl Millöcker |
| Libretto : | Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée |
| Premiere: | January 26, 1884 |
| Place of premiere: | Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | Sicily around 1820 |
| people | |
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Gasparone is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker . The libretto was written by Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée . It premiered on January 26, 1884 at the Theater an der Wien .
orchestra
Two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, percussion and strings
action
place and time
The operetta is set in Syracuse, Sicily, around 1820.
first act
Image: Place on the bank with pub, in the background Mount Etna
The title character is a notorious robber captain who is up to mischief with his gang in Abruzzo on the Italian mainland. The real model was the Italian brigant Antonio Gasbarrone (1793–1882). At no point does he appear in person in the operetta; it is just often mentioned. Benozzo, the landlord of a harbor bar, is spreading the rumor with great enthusiasm that Gasparone has now chosen Sicily as his field of activity. But his only aim is that the police are distracted from his own activities - he is the head of a smugglers' gang.
Now it happens that Count Erminio of Saluzzo has come to the island from the mainland to conduct geological studies on Etna. When he met the beautiful Countess Carlotta, his heart was immediately on fire for her. To get rid of her older companion Zenobia, he ensures that Carlotta is ambushed and kidnapped by the smugglers. He himself then stages her liberation and is viewed by Carlotta as a savior.
The somewhat dumb mayor Baboleno Nasoni is always easy to be chased into the fenugreek. He takes Benozzo's reference to Gasparone's alleged residence as an opportunity to track down the robber with the help of some police officers. When he meets Count Erminio, he suspects him to be the wanted robber. But the fact that Carlotta has now also cast an eye on him does not fit into his plan at all. The beautiful woman became the owner of a stately castle and a cash fortune of a million Zechinen through an inheritance process that ended happily for her, which she does not yet know herself. In any case, Nasoni hopes to make Carlotta the wife of his son Sindulfo by tricking her into believing that only he, as mayor, is in a position to influence the pending trial in her favor. Out of gratitude, the countess agrees to marry Sindulfo, although she has absolutely no feelings for him.
Second act
Image: Salon in the castle
With a clever move, Count Erminio Sindulfo was kidnapped by the smugglers' gang. Benozzo visits the Countess in her castle and shows her an alleged letter from Gasparone demanding a ransom of 10,000 Zechinen. Carlotta lets herself be softened and hands him the sum so that he can deliver it to the robber. When Benozzo has left the castle, the return of the freed Sindulfo is expected. But instead of him, Benozzo returns - alone. Gasparone said the sum wasn't enough, he wanted that much again. Since Carlotta still considers the mayor to be the savior of her family fortune, she is ready to make this sacrifice to get his son free.
Count Erminio is still anxious to prevent the lady of his heart from marrying the mayor's flighty son. He sees only one way out: to break into Carlotta's place and rob Carlotta's million dollar fortune; because Nasoni and his son Sindulfo would quickly lose interest in an impoverished countess. The plan is carried out. Carlotta is bitterly disappointed when she has to recognize Erminio as a robber; but she cannot avoid handing over her property to him. Nevertheless, she still feels sympathy for Erminio.
Third act
Image: Square in Syracuse with the town hall
Sindulfo is now free again. He now wants to arrange the wedding with Carlotta as quickly as possible. But this is just being questioned by the police because of the nightly robbery. She describes the robber so wrongly that it is impossible to infer Erminio. The count, however, recognizes from Carlotta's testimony that she still weighs him in spite of his raid. Now he thinks the time has come to drop his mask. He reveals himself to be the interior minister's son and assures him that he only slipped into the disguise of a robber to protect the countess from a plot.
Suddenly the pub owner Benozzo approaches again. He claims that fate leaked a message from Gasparone with the stolen 10,000 zechines. He gives them back; But he kept the million to start a new life on the mainland. The ground in Sicily had gotten too hot for him because he had to constantly hide from the brilliant mayor Nasoni.
When Erminio wants to give the mayor a package as a present for his son's upcoming wedding with Carlotta, Carlotta brusquely rejects it. Since Carlotta has no more assets, she is no longer considered his daughter-in-law. The Countess, however, gratefully accepts the package. Nasoni and Sindulfo watch her curiously as she opens it. When they realize that the content consists of the stolen million, they are stunned. The end of the operetta is predictable: Carlotta and Erminio kiss each other.
Reconstruction of the original version
After only heavily edited versions were performed for many decades, there was a reconstruction of the original version by Hans-Dieter Roser , who worked with Rudolf Bibl on performance material for the EA at the Staatstheater Kassel ( Verlag Weinberger , 1973).
Musical highlights
- Trio by Carlotta, Nasoni and Zenobia "How glad I am that you are still here!"
- Duet between Carlotta and Erminio in the finale of the first act "Hear the shouting from afar!"
- Couplet of Zenobia "The view from this monster - there are no more men!"
- Scene and duet between Carlotta and Erminio "Darkness spreads over the sea"
- Benozzo's waltz song “ Let him be your master! How proud that sounds! "
- Erminio's song "I bring dark red roses, beautiful woman" . This is a trio that comes from the operetta "Der Vizeadmiral", which premiered two years later. It was only taken over into this operetta by the Steffan Knepler adaptation in 1931 and has been associated with the operetta title ever since. In the original score of the operetta The Vice Admiral , the piece with the name Terzettino can be found under No. 3 under the title Let's go into the garden, breathe the scent of flowers .
Film adaptations
- 1937: Gasparone , directed by Georg Jacoby
- 1955: Gasparone, directed by Karl Paryla
- 1963: Gasparone, director: Hans Hollmann (TV)
- 1972: Gasparone, director: Wolfgang Liebeneiner (TV)
Sound carrier
- Complete recording on the EMI label (double CD, no .: 1355408) with Anneliese Rothenberger and Hermann Prey in the leading roles.
- Complete recording on Membran (double CD) with Anny Schlemm , Josef Metternich , Benno Kusche , Herta Talmar and Willy Hofmann in the leading roles. Conductor: Franz Marszalek .