The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein
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| Title: | The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein |
| Original title: | La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein |
| Shape: | Opéra bouffe |
| Original language: | French |
| Music: | Jacques Offenbach |
| Libretto : | Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy |
| Premiere: | April 12, 1867 |
| Place of premiere: | Paris |
| Playing time: | approx. 2 ½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Grand Duchy of Gerolstein around 1840 |
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The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein is a French operetta ( Opéra bouffe ) in three acts by Jacques Offenbach . The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy . The first performance took place on April 12, 1867 at the Théâtre des Variétés in Paris with Hortense Schneider in the title role.
The work is a satire in which favoritism and military fuss are mocked. The success of the premiere was mixed, the first half was enthusiastically received, while the second half was not understood. Offenbach immediately began to work on the arrangement, cutting out the second finale and the grand duchess's melodrama. After that, the operetta was a triumphant success. The performance was seen as a cultural contribution to the great Paris World Exhibition .
orchestra
Two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, percussion and strings
action
The operetta is set in the fictional German Grand Duchy of Gerolstein around 1840 and has no relation to the actual city in the Vulkaneifel .
The small state of Gerolstein is at war with another small neighboring state. The reason is not political; Baron Puck fears that the Grand Duchess might get bored and get the idea of doing politics herself.
General Bumm boasts of his martial success and his good standing with women (Piff, paff, puff - A cheval sur la discipline) . However, the peasant girl Wanda refuses his requests; she is more interested in the soldier Fritz. General Bumm orders Fritz to guard an empty piece of land in order to take revenge on him, but Fritz and Wanda circumvent the ban on speaking during guard duty by singing and dancing (Me voici, me voici) instead .
The Grand Duchess comes to inspect her regiment and sing the regimental song (Ah, que j'aime les militaires and Ah! C'est un fameux régiment) with them. But instead of presenting the song as intended with General Bumm as a partner, she prefers to do it with Fritz, who she likes better. Without further ado she promoted him, and during a subsequent council of war he was ennobled and made a general. Enter PRINCE PAUL He was brought into the country by Baron Puck. It was the first plan to keep the Grand Duchess busy. Unfortunately Paul is a joke and the Grand Duchess doesn't want to know anything about him. He complains because he is doing badly in the press because of his long-term advertising (Chronique de la Gazette de Hollande) . The Grand Duchess puts him off and promises to marry him when she is less busy. Fritz is given the saber to the grand ducal family (Couplets du Saber) . He says goodbye to Wanda to go to war.
The war is over and the ladies-in-waiting of the Grand Duchess are waiting for their loved ones to return (Chœur des demoiselles d'honneur) . Fritz reports on his victory, which he achieved by making the enemy drunk (après la victoire) . Alone with Fritz, the Grand Duchess wants to confess her love for him. Because of the difference in class, she cannot directly say what she is feeling, which is why she says a friend is in love with him (Dites-lui qu'on l'a remarqué) . Fritz does not understand her allusions and asks her to be allowed to marry Wanda.
General Bumm, Baron Puck and Prince Paul think about how to get rid of Fritz who is in their way. Boom and Puck remember how to do it in the old days. At that time the grandmother of the current Grand Duchess had a lover named Max. There is a secret passage to the room of the deceased Max, through which the Grand Duchess at the time came to meet Max. One night, instead of the Grand Duchess, a squad of assassins came to murder Max. That is exactly how the courtiers want to do it. The Grand Duchess is furious about Fritz's rejection, and when she learns of the murder plot, she gives him her blessing and wants to give the signal herself.
Canceled second final: The Grand Duchess has agreed with Bumm, Paul and Puck that Fritz should be murdered on the wedding night if she lets her grandmother play the carillon at the court ball. Fritz and Wanda come to the court ball, where, as they come from the lower classes, they are rather out of place. The Grand Duchess tries to dissuade Fritz from the wedding in order not to pass the death sentence, but it fails and she demands that they play her grandmother's carillon (Le carillon de ma grand-mère) .
Crossed out melodrama: Alone in Fritz and Wanda's bridal chamber, which is the room of the favorite Max, the Grand Duchess wonders how she could become what she is now and whether she is doing the right thing.
The assassins gather, and with them comes Baron Grog. Grog was sent by Prince Paul's father to finally broker the marriage between Paul and the Grand Duchess. The Grand Duchess has so far refused to receive him. The murderers sharpen their knives when the Grand Duchess arrives. She is carried away by Baron Grog and renounces Fritz. As a substitute for the murder, the courtiers are supposed to spoil his wedding night. At first the courtiers Fritz and Wanda disturb them by accompanying them to the bedroom, where they say good night to them for a long time. As soon as they are gone, Bumm calls Fritz to a new combat mission.
The Grand Duchess married Paul so that she could be so close to Grog, who cleverly persuaded her to do so. Fritz bursts into the festivities, deranged and with a bent saber. Instead of going to a theater of war, Bumm has sent him to his own lover's house, not without first giving her husband a hint. He was waiting for Fritz, together with his servants, and so wounded him. Fritz is demoted and says goodbye. The Grand Duchess now wants to promote grog instead. But he renounces and prefers to go home to his wife and four children. General Bumm gets his rank back.
music
Already in the overture the hymn-like “Degen-Lied” dominates (So take the sword, the sword, the sword) , which later runs as a leitmotif through the entire operetta.
Recordings (selection)
original language
- Zareska, Dran, Prévet, Riley, Chœur Lyrique de Paris, Orchester de l'Association des Concerts Pasdeloup under René Leibowitz , Urania (Preiser) 1958
- Crespin , Vanzo, Mesplé, Massard, Chor und Orchester du Capitole de Toulouse under Michel Plasson , CBS 1977
- Felicity Lott , Beuron, Piau, Le Roux, Chœur des Musiciens du Louvre, Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble under Marc Minkowski , Virgin 2005 (This production, which is based on the source-critical edition by Jean-Christophe Keck , contains the scenes deleted by Offenbach. )
In German language
- Tarrés, Dallapozza, Gerritsen, Malta, Protschka. Kölner Rundfunkchor, Kölner Rundfunkorchester under Pinchas Steinberg , EMI 1984.