Knight Pásmán

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Work data
Title: Knight Pásmán
Poster for the premiere

Poster for the premiere

Shape: Comic opera in three acts
Original language: German
Music: Johann Strauss (son)
Libretto : Ludwig von Dóczi
Literary source: Pázmán lovag by János Arany
Premiere: January 1, 1892
Place of premiere: Vienna Court Opera
Playing time: approx. 2 ½ hours
Place and time of the action: Hungary at the time of the Renaissance
people
  • Karl Robert von Anjou, King of Hungary ( tenor )
  • Queen ( soprano )
  • Knight Pásmán ( bass )
  • Eva, his wife ( mezzo-soprano )
  • Rodomonte, court jester ( baritone )
  • Omodé, Court Marshal (tenor)
  • Gundy, Maid at Eva ( old )
  • Mischu, squire with Pásmán (tenor)
  • Knights, squires, ladies-in-waiting, lords, servants, maidservants, fishermen ( choir , extras)
  • ballet

Ritter Pásmán (occasionally also written Ritter Pázmán ) is the only opera by Johann Strauss (son) . The libretto is by Ludwig von Dóczi and is based on the Hungarian story Pázmán lovag by János Arany . The first performance of the three-act comic opera took place on January 1, 1892 at the Vienna Court Opera .

action

The plot as a comic

The opera is set in Hungary during the Renaissance

While eating on the occasion of a hunt, a hunter kisses the wife of Knight Pásmán on the forehead. Only after the meal does Pásmán find out about the incident and react jealously. He goes to the king's court, to whom he presents his complaint. As reparation he demands to be allowed to kiss the wife of the unknown hunter. Things take a surprising turn when the king declares that he was the unknown hunter. As a result, Pásmán is now allowed to kiss the queen.

Instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

Work history

The first performance took place on January 1, 1892 at the Vienna Court Opera under the direction of the composer. The director had Wilhelm Jahn . The set was designed by Anton Brioschi . It sang Fritz Schrödter (Charles Robert of Anjou), Ellen Brandt Forster (Queen), Franz von Reichenberg (Ritter Pasman), Marie Renard (Eva), Josef Ritter (Rodomonte), Anton Schittenhelm (OMODE), Benedict Felix (Mix) and Josefine von Artner (Gundy).

Music lovers had eagerly awaited the premiere of the first and only opera by Johann Strauss. One expected an opera that would match the great and successful operettas of the master such as B. The bat would be in no way inferior. However, the factory was nowhere near meeting these expectations. A main reason for this was the mundane plot. Strauss' music did not reach the expected level either, even if he used Hungarian sounds and forms such as the csárdás . He even used the dulcimer (“zimbal”), a rather unusual instrument in opera. The work was then only performed eight times in the Vienna Court Opera (State Opera). Today the opera is hardly played any more. However, some numbers have been preserved and are performed at various concerts. These include the overture and ballet music, the Pásmán waltz , the Pásmán polka , a csárdás, the Eva waltz and the Pásmán quadrille , which Strauss brought out separately under Opus 441.

Recordings

Web links

Commons : Knight Pásmán  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Eberhard Würzl : Knight Pásmán. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , p. 73.
  2. ↑ Cast of the world premiere in the repertoire archive of the Vienna State Opera , accessed on January 4, 2017.
  3. ↑ January 1, 1892: "Knight Pázmán". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
  4. ^ Johann (Jr) Strauss. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera complete recordings. Zeno.org , Volume 20, p. 18153.