Rudolf (musical)
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| Title: | Rudolf - Mayerling affair |
| Original title: | Rudolf - the last kiss |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Frank Wildhorn |
| Lyrics: | Jack Murphy |
| Literary source: | One last waltz by Frederic Morton |
| Premiere: | May 26, 2006 |
| Place of premiere: | Színház operetta in Budapest |
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Rudolf - Affaire Mayerling is a musical about the life of the Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf , son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary .
The melodies are by Frank Wildhorn , the lyrics were written by Jack Murphy based on an idea by Phoebe Hwang. The arrangements were made by Koen Schoots, the orchestration by Kim Scharnberg. Additional texts are from Nan Knighton. Individual motifs follow the book A Last Waltz by Frederic Morton .
Production history
The world premiere took place on May 26, 2006 at the Színház opera in Budapest under the name Rudolf - the last kiss ( dt. Rudolf - The last kiss ). Gergely Zöldi, Miklós Gábor Kerényi and Szilárd Somogyi were responsible for the Hungarian texts. The same production ran in the summer of 2006 at the Hungarian Szegedi Szabadtéri Játékok open-air theater. The premiere there was on July 28, 2006.
The German-language premiere took place on February 26, 2009 in the Raimund Theater in Vienna under the title Rudolf - Affaire Mayerling .
background
The original rights to the piece are held by the United Bühnen Wien . The piece was commissioned under Rudolf Klausnitzer . The aim was to continue to focus VBW on in-house productions in the future. The successful concept of a play about the story of a tragic Austrian figure, combined with modern music and dance, which had already moved the audience in the musical production Elisabeth , was to be continued here.
content
I. act
In their apartments in the Vienna Hofburg , Crown Prince Rudolf and his wife Crown Princess Stephanie , whose relationship is very tense, are preparing for the inauguration of the new Hof-Burgtheater in honor of the fortieth anniversary of the reign of His Majesty Emperor Franz Joseph ( Hofburg, October 1888 ).
While the guests of honor praise the miracles of progress that makes it possible for the Burgtheater to shine in the splendor of the new electric light, the common people, from the back rows, loudly vent their anger and despair. At the gala, Rudolf met Prime Minister Eduard Graf Taaffe , the emperor's closest confidante. As an arch-conservative traditionalist, he is one of the strongest rivals of the liberal-minded Crown Prince. Your greeting is polite but also correspondingly cool and distant ( Hofburgtheater: Curtain up 1 ).
The operetta, which will be shown on the occasion of the opening, is interrupted by a working girl who storms onto the stage and shoots herself in front of the horrified audience ( Hofburgtheater: Curtain up 2 (contains short operetta version of “Wiener Schmäh”) ). Besides Rudolf and Count Taaffe, who has already ordered the removal of this "inconvenience", a young woman, Mary Baroness Vetsera , also runs to the dead woman . To the prince's dismayed question "Why?", She replies: "Sometimes it is better to die immediately than a little every day." ( Prologue: Like every other man )
The next morning in the Hofburg the emperor was upset about this disruption of his anniversary celebrations, but almost even more about the oppositional newspaper articles by a mysterious journalist named Julius Felix, whose “liberal follies” he believed he recognized in his son ( Kabinettsaal ). Rudolf tries to make his ideas and suggestions for a modern monarchy understandable, but his father doesn't want to hear anything about changes ( you don't want to listen ).
Not only the crown is concerned with Julius Felix. Mary Vetsera devours his articles and sees him as a soul mate, while her aunt, Countess Larisch tries to persuade her to marry the Duke of Braganza in order to guarantee the family's financial security ( Wiener Schmäh ). In addition, she gives her some “valuable tips” on how to turn a man's head properly and leads her to a boutique in order to decorate them appropriately ( a pretty war ). Mary longs for a soul mate ( Mary's song ).
Shortly afterwards, a ball in honor of the new German emperor, Wilhelm II , takes place in the Hofburg ( Der Ball ). Here Rudolf and Mary meet again. Despite their initial reserve, they dance together and ultimately Mary is surprised and impressed when it turns out that the Crown Prince knows Julius Felix's articles and can even quote them by heart. Later that evening, Rudolf takes his cousin Edward, Prince of Wales , and Wilhelm II to the Salon Apocalypse, where people indulge in "more private pleasures" ( Salon Apocalypse ). While the two are having a great time with the pretty ladies, Rudolf seems disinterested and absent. His mind is with Mary, who is with him in mind ( so much more ).
In the meantime, however, Prime Minister Count Taaffe has not remained inactive. He has quoted Moriz Szeps , the editor of the newspaper in which the Julius Felix articles appear, in his office and is now giving him “good advice” to refrain from printing such texts in the future ( Taaffe's office / Die radende Zukunft ). To underline this request, Szeps finds his editorial team completely devastated on his return ( editorial office Wiener Tagblatt ).
While he is still standing between the rubble with the Hungarian Count Andrássy , the French politician Clemenceau and the lawyer Vogelsang, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wales join them. Together they plan to give Europe a new political face and to seal a new alliance without Prussia in a document. But Rudolf hesitates and, despite the insistent persuasion of his “co-conspirators”, withholds his signature for the time being ( (It is) time to act / Where is my path going? ). Shortly after everyone, with the exception of Rudolf, appears, Mary appears to want to place an ad asking Julius Felix to meet up in person. Her wish is fulfilled immediately when Rudolf confesses to his alter ego. They go ice skating together ( Ice skating club (Tralala) / The moment I saw you)
A few days later, Rudolf had to overhear Emperor Franz Joseph and Count Taaffe discussing the renewal of the alliance with Prussia. In addition, the Prime Minister expresses the suspicion that the Crown Prince and Julius Felix could be identical ( conference room ).
When Rudolf and Mary see each other again, he wants to warn them of the dangers that would threaten her too if his secret political machinations were discovered. But before he gets around to it, she encourages him to continue on his course and tells him that she will stand by him, whatever may happen ( Prater - Trust in Us ).
II. Act
Rudolf is plagued by terrible nightmares. He sees Prime Minister Count Taaffe manipulating the emperor and the entire bureaucracy and, as the real power behind the crown, executing as "rebels" anyone who could endanger his influence. When Mary is also hanged, he starts screaming her name ( the threads in hand ).
Mary wakes up, also frightened, and calms Rudolf. While Mary is getting dressed, since the sun is already rising, Rudolf gives her a ring with the engraving " United in love until death" and hangs it on her with the promise that one day she will bring her to Mayerling , where it will be opened can wear on a gold chain around the neck. Just as Mary is about to break away from the prince's stormy farewell kiss, Crown Princess Stephanie bursts into the bedchamber. In the following argument with Rudolf, Stephanie emphatically makes her point of view clear that no matter how many lovers he will take, one day she will still sit on the throne by his side - and at some point will share the ultimate peace with him ( you stay with him me! ).
A few days later the furious Emperor had Rudolf called to him. The latter confronts him with a letter that the Crown Prince has sent to the Pope, asking him to annul his marriage to Stephanie. When Rudolf resists the emperor's arguments and even declares that he would like to marry Mary and have legitimate children with her, Franz Joseph openly threatens that he would plunge her and her whole family into disaster if Rudolf refuses to submit. In addition, the monarch forbids him all public appearances ( like every other man ).
Rudolf despairs of his burden of being crown prince and seeks to be forgotten in alcohol and in the Apocalypse salon ( Wiener Schmäh (reprise) / My sweet hero ). To his greatest surprise, he discovered Mary among the "honorable ladies" there. She explains to him that out of love she would follow him anywhere, even in an establishment like this, if he feels comfortable here. About his self-pity, she tells him “that it is time to no longer play the prince, but to be a prince.” ( Courage to act )
Filled with renewed courage, Rudolf enters the gallery where Count Taaffe is giving the opening speech wanted to hold the industrial exhibition, and soars to a fiery address. His talk of peace, progress and change is received with enthusiastic enthusiasm ( The Way Forward ). Among the audience is Countess Larisch, who is very worried about the young prince ( Love guides ).
Meanwhile, Mary meets Stephanie in the Augustinian Church in Vienna. At first you talk openly, but tense. Stephanie tells Mary what it's like to live with Rudolf and what he is like. She warns Mary about the relationship with Rudolf and says that she will not be able to escape the consequences of her actions ( Augustinian Church ).
Count Taaffe is not at all enthusiastic about Mary's invigorating influence on Rudolf. He has her brought to his pompous office ( Die Fuchsfalle ) and offers her a generous sum and a property far away from Vienna for her and her family if she stays away from the Crown Prince in the future. When she refuses his offer, he begins to threaten openly, but this makes no impression on Mary. She asserts herself against the Prime Minister and emphasizes once again that she will follow Rudolf everywhere ( when fate overtakes you ). Rudolf has meanwhile handed Countess Larisch a letter for Mary, in which he asks her to go away, as he is about to do things that could be life-threatening for him and for her too ( So much more (recapitulation) ).
Events come to a head: Rudolf has signed the new agreement and is handing it over to lawyer Vogelsang, kept in a red box. But the latter brings the alliance agreement directly to Prime Minister Count Taaffe, who in turn passes it on directly to the emperor ( time to act (recapitulation) ).
The shaken emperor summons Rudolf to come to him. When he enters and sees the red cassette in which the emperor is burning the “new constitution for Europe”, he realizes that he has been betrayed. Franz Joseph renounces Rudolf as heir to the throne and orders him to go to the German embassy in Prussian uniform that evening. After the emperor has withdrawn, Count Taaffe hands Rudolf with a cynical remark Mary's farewell letter, which also includes the ring.
Rudolf rushes to the station hoping to reach Mary before the train leaves, but he is late. Suddenly she emerges from the steam of the locomotive. Together they go to Mayerling. In the bedchamber, Rudolf Mary puts the ring on his finger and together they extinguish the candles ( You are my world / trust in us (recapitulation) ).
Two shots are fired in the silence and darkness.
occupation
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Songs
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I. act
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II. Act
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Others
- First, an unpublished demo recording of the musical by Rob Evan, Brandi Burkhardt and Michael Shawn Lewis was recorded in English
- Three songs have already been released on a Hungarian musical sampler.
- The release of a Hungarian cast album is planned, but a release date has not yet been set.
- On April 10th, 2009 the German cast album with Drew Sarich, Lisa Antoni and Uwe Kröger was released.
- On October 2nd, a live recording of Rudolf - Affaire Mayerling was released on DVD by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien .
- A short time later, the soundtrack for this DVD was released as a complete recording.