Viennese women (Lehár)
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Viennese women |
| Original title: | Viennese women |
| Shape: | operetta |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Franz Lehár |
| Libretto : | Hans Bergler and Emil Norini |
| Premiere: | November 21, 1902 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater an der Wien , Vienna |
| Place and time of the action: | Vienna around 1900 |
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Wiener Frauen is an operetta in three acts by the composer Franz Lehár and the librettist Hans Bergler alias Ottokar Tann-Bergler and Emil Norini. The work is based on the comedy The Key to Paradise by Vaudeville and has now been given the working title The Piano Timmer or the Piano Teacher . The premiere took place on November 21, 1902 in the Theater an der Wien in Vienna with the participation of the then theater star Alexander Girardi . The work was Lehár's first operetta, which was composed at the same time as the Rastelbinder .
action
Claire is the fiancée of the wealthy Philip Rosner. Many years ago she fell in love with her piano teacher, Willibald Brandl. He had beguiled her with an irresistibly sung waltz. The two planned a future together at the time, but that didn't happen because Willibald disappeared to America. Claire had meanwhile found out that Willibald had drowned. Eventually she fell in love and engaged to Philip Rosner. Shortly before they get married, she hears the waltz that Willibald once played from an adjoining room. She suddenly realizes that Willibald is still alive and has returned to Vienna from distant America. Now she is torn between the two men and is postponing the planned wedding with Philip, also because she still feels bound by previous promises to Willibald. Of course Philip is not enthusiastic about this development. He does everything possible to distract Willibald's attention from Claire. For this purpose Fini, Lini and Tini, the three daughters of the Bohemian music teacher Nechledil, have to serve, whom one tries to couple with Willibald. Now Claire is upset, probably also because Willibald doesn't seem to be immune to the three daughters. Ultimately, everyone involved meets with a lawyer to find a way out of the situation. On this occasion, Willibald announced to the astonished audience that he had already married in America and that his wife was an African-American from the Congo. Everyone except Jeanette, the housemaid, is appalled. The situation is cleared up because the lawyer finds out that Willibald's wife has long since applied for a divorce. Willibald, who has since fallen in love with Jeanette, immediately declares his consent to the divorce. Then everything clears up. Claire marries her Philip as planned and Willibald his Jeanette.
Music numbers
The most famous music numbers were released on a CD with the highlights of the operetta on the CPO label . The WDR Radio Orchestra under Helmuth Froschauer and the WDR Radio Choir play and sing . The singers are Anke Hoffmann, Anneli Pfeffer, Peter Minich , Thomas Dewald, Boris Leisenheimer and Elsbieta Kavelage. The following numbers can be heard on this CD:
- No. 1 song of Jeanette
- No. 2 Song of Philipe: Two must be
- No. 4 Entree of Willibald Brandl: Build the houses skyward
- No. 5 Entree of Claire: But despite the woes and woes
- No. 7 bridal choir
- From No. 8 Duet: At last alone
- No. 9 Quadrille
- No. 10 Bohemian Song: Where the Vltava rustles majestically
- No. 11 Duet: Is good will on both sides
- No. 12 Spanish Romance: Beautiful Rose
- No. 15 Lied des Philipes: Schöne Frauen (in the original it was called Viennese women )
- No. 16 Duet: But it doesn't work
- No. 17 Nechledil March
reception
This operetta was well received by the audience at the premiere and shortly afterwards. That was mainly due to Alexander Girardi, who managed to inspire his audience as he had for decades. At that time he was still working with Lehár. Later he broke with the composer, whose later works, especially from the Merry Widow onwards, he called soulless jumping operettas . Regardless of this, the enthusiasm for this work soon waned. The parallel composed work Der Rastelbinder , which premiered at the Vienna Carltheater , was much more successful (the existence or the near première of this second Lehár operetta in a competing theater led to annoyance at the Theater an der Wien). Lehár's first operetta was performed in Budapest in 1903 in a Hungarian version. The first recorded performance in Germany took place on October 20, 1906 in Leipzig . However, the work had already been reworked for this performance. It was now called The Key to Paradise and no longer played in Vienna, but in Paris. Some music numbers were deleted at that time, others were newly composed. Some role names have also been changed to French. This version also failed to achieve lasting success. Today a few numbers are occasionally performed at concerts. As a whole, the work, regardless of the version, is only played very rarely.
Trivia
The couplet behind the Nechledil March was originally intended for the role of the Nechledil. That is why it still bears this name today. However, even before the first performance of the work, Alexander Girardi insisted on singing this song, even if it was not intended for him in the score (he played the role of Willibald). Success finally proved him right. He had landed another hit with it.
literature
- Norbert Linke : Franz Lehár . Rororo-Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2001 p. 33 ff