Ein Walzertraum
Encyclopedia
Ein Walzertraum is an operetta
by Oscar Straus
with a German
libretto by Leopold Jacobson and Felix Dörmann, based on the novella
Nur der Prinzgemahl (Only the Prince Consort
) by Hans Müller-Einigen
from his 1905 book Buch der Abenteuer (Book of Adventures).
The young Jacobson presented Straus with a libretto
for Ein Walzertraum at a coffee house in the Vienna Prater
in 1906. Straus was inspired by the text and completed the work within 12 months for its premiere in spring 1907.
It premiered on 2 March 1907
at the Carltheater
in Vienna
.
on 27 January 1908 (with an English libretto adapted by Joseph Herbert), and in London
on 28 March 1908 at the Hicks Theatre
(adapted by Basil Hood
, with lyrics by Adrian Ross
, starring Gertie Millar
, W. H. Berry
and later Robert Evett
and Arthur Williams
). Lily Elsie
and Amy Evans
starred in the 1911 revival at Daly's Theatre
.
The international success of the operetta exceeded Straus's expectations, and special praise was reserved for the famous waltz theme from Act Two. Straus later arranged various numbers from the operetta and included the graceful main waltz theme into a new concert waltz. The piece made Straus's international reputation, touring internationally after the Vienna, New York and London runs and enjoying many revivals. Cyril Ritchard
made his debut at age 19 in the piece in Australia.
The operetta did not remain as popular over the decades as Straus' The Chocolate Soldier
, but a number of modern productions have been mounted. In 1991, Ohio Light Opera
produced the work, and in 1992, Light Opera Works
of Illinois mounted a production.
In the fictional state of Rurislavenstein, the scene opens in the glittering and the splendour of the Prunksaal des Schlosses Hall of the Prince of Flausenthurn. Princess Helene and Lieutenant Niki of the Army had earlier became lovers and soon were married in the splendid hall whereupon the father of the Princess, Joachim decided the apparent heir to his throne. In spite of this, Lieutenant Niki appeared to be sceptical of the prospect of being a Prince as it was not financially beneficial nor does it come with the elevated status which he sought. The marriage has also raised a few eyebrows among the courtiers as Niki was just a common soldier and the choice of marriage has been a hasty one. Niki also distanced himself from the Prince's favour when the former acknowledged the hasty marriage and raised suggestions for a separate bedroom from the newly-wed Princess. It also appeared to the dismayed Prince that Lieutenant Niki favours his hometown of Vienna rather than the interests of the State. Lieutenant Niki then chooses to leave the palace secretly with his comrade Lieutenant Montschi for a pleasurable evening in the Beer-Garden. Through this troubled backdrop, a scheming Count Lothar, who is envious of Niki hatches a plan of betrayal.
Act Two
At the Garten der Wirtschaft, Niki meets Franzi, a ladies' orchestra leader and is attracted to her. Franzi, apparently, has also had her heart won by him just as quickly as her criteria is that only a true Wienerin (Viennese) can do so. By the scheme of Count Lothar, the Prince and Princess Helene was also present at the same venue with the chambermaid Friederike von Insterburg. The Count also has eyes for Franzi, however, she gives him the cold shoulder. By that instance, Princess Helene and Franzi meets and the Princess gladly wants to know the Wienerin who has won her heart. The main waltz theme of the Walzertraum plays and Niki dances with the Princess Helene. Franzi, who watches the entire scene with a broken heart realises that Niki was actually the husband of the Princess.
Act Three
Back at the Prunksaal des Schlosses Hall, Princess Helen discovers Niki's unhappiness at the marriage. It transpires that Niki longs for the Viennese customs which he grows up with. An immediate change of environment was implemented, including a change of dress code, furniture and even the meals. A new chambermaid schooled in the Viennese customs was also installed to take charge of the domestic matters. Niki, as expected, warms down to the new surroundings which comes close to his heart and soon willingly accepts Princess Helene without restrictions although he clearly misses the pretty Franzi. Franzi, however, wisely renounces her affection for Niki and all ends happily ever after.
Act I — Festival Hall in Prince Joachim's Castle at Flausenthurn.
Act II — Garden Salon.
Act III — Drawing Room in the Castle at Flausenthurn.
film entitled The Smiling Lieutenant
, starring Maurice Chevalier
and Claudette Colbert
. In 1969, a German television production was made.
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
by Oscar Straus
Oscar Straus (composer)
Oscar Nathan Straus was a Viennese composer of operettas and film scores and songs. He also wrote about 500 cabaret songs, chamber music, and orchestral and choral works...
with a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
libretto by Leopold Jacobson and Felix Dörmann, based on the novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
Nur der Prinzgemahl (Only the Prince Consort
Prince consort
A prince consort is the husband of a queen regnant who is not himself a king in his own right.Current examples include the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , and Prince Henrik of Denmark .In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal...
) by Hans Müller-Einigen
Hans Müller-Einigen
Hans Müller was a German language writer, author of screenplays and director...
from his 1905 book Buch der Abenteuer (Book of Adventures).
The young Jacobson presented Straus with a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for Ein Walzertraum at a coffee house in the Vienna Prater
Prater
The Wiener Prater is a large public park in Vienna's 2nd district . The amusement park, often simply called "Prater", stands in one corner of the Wiener Prater and includes the .-Name:...
in 1906. Straus was inspired by the text and completed the work within 12 months for its premiere in spring 1907.
Performance history
1907 in music
-Events:*February 21 - Frederick Delius's opera A Village Romeo and Juliet is premiered in Berlin.* General Porfirio Díaz legendarily orders a mariachi band to wear upper-class clothing when they played for the visiting United States Secretary of State Elihu Root; this is the beginning of modern...
at the Carltheater
Carltheater
The Carltheater was a theatre in Vienna. It was in the suburbs in Leopoldstadt at Praterstraße 31 .It was the successor to the Leopoldstädter Theater. After a series of financial difficulties, that theater had been sold in 1838 to the director, Carl Carl, who continued to run it in parallel to his...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
English adaptations
Following the success of the operetta in Vienna, productions of the work, under the name A Waltz Dream, were mounted in English for premieres at the Chestnut Street Opera House in Philadelphia on 6 January 1908, in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 27 January 1908 (with an English libretto adapted by Joseph Herbert), and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 28 March 1908 at the Hicks Theatre
Gielgud Theatre
The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, London, at the corner of Rupert Street. The house currently has 889 seats on three levels.-History:...
(adapted by Basil Hood
Basil Hood
Basil Willett Charles Hood was a British librettist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including The Merry Widow. He embarked on a career in the British army, writing theatrical pieces in his spare...
, with lyrics by Adrian Ross
Adrian Ross
For the NFL player see Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes , better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
, starring Gertie Millar
Gertie Millar
Gertrude "Gertie" Millar was one of the most famous English singer-actresses of the early 20th century, known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies....
, W. H. Berry
W. H. Berry
William Henry Berry , always billed as W. H. Berry, was an English comic actor. After learning his craft in pierrot and concert entertainments, he was spotted by the actor-manager George Grossmith Jr., and appeared in a series of musical comedies in comic character roles. His greatest success was...
and later Robert Evett
Robert Evett
Robert Evett was an English singer, actor, theatre manager and producer.-Acting career:In 1892 Evett joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company on tour in The Vicar of Bray, playing the Reverend Henry Sandford, the tenor lead. In 1893, Evett added the role of Oswald in Haddon Hall...
and Arthur Williams
Arthur Williams (actor)
Arthur Williams was an English actor, singer and playwright best remembered for his roles in comic operas, musical burlesques and Edwardian musical comedies...
). Lily Elsie
Lily Elsie
Lily Elsie was a popular English actress and singer during the Edwardian era, best known for her starring role in the hit London premiere of Franz Lehár's operetta The Merry Widow....
and Amy Evans
Amy Evans
Amy Evans was a Welsh soprano and actress known for her performances in oratorio, recitals, and opera. She also made some music recordings beginning in 1906. In 1910, she played the leading role of Selene in W. S. Gilbert's last opera, Fallen Fairies and sang at the Royal Opera House the same...
starred in the 1911 revival at Daly's Theatre
Daly's Theatre
Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937.-Early years:...
.
The international success of the operetta exceeded Straus's expectations, and special praise was reserved for the famous waltz theme from Act Two. Straus later arranged various numbers from the operetta and included the graceful main waltz theme into a new concert waltz. The piece made Straus's international reputation, touring internationally after the Vienna, New York and London runs and enjoying many revivals. Cyril Ritchard
Cyril Ritchard
Cyril Ritchard was an Australian stage, screen and television actor, and director. He is probably best remembered today for his performance as Captain Hook in the Mary Martin musical production of Peter Pan....
made his debut at age 19 in the piece in Australia.
The operetta did not remain as popular over the decades as Straus' The Chocolate Soldier
The Chocolate Soldier
The Chocolate Soldier is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, Arms and the Man...
, but a number of modern productions have been mounted. In 1991, Ohio Light Opera
Ohio Light Opera
The Ohio Light Opera is a professional opera company based in Wooster, Ohio that performs the light opera repertory, including Gilbert and Sullivan, American, British and continental operettas, and other musical theatre works, especially of the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
produced the work, and in 1992, Light Opera Works
Light Opera Works
Light Opera Works is a resident professional not-for-profit musical theatre company in Evanston, Illinois. It was founded in 1980 by Philip Kraus, Bridget McDonough , and Ellen Dubinsky....
of Illinois mounted a production.
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
Premiere Cast, 2 March 1907 (Conductor: ) |
|---|---|---|
| Joachim XIII, the Prince of Flausenthurn | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
|
| Princess Helene, the Prince's daughter | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Count Lothar. the Prince's cousin | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
|
| Lieutenant Niki, Helene's lover and then husband | tenor | |
| Lieutenant Montschi | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Friederike von Insterburg, the chief-lady-in-waiting | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
|
| Wendolin | baritone | |
| Sigismund | baritone | |
| Franzi Steingruber, conductor of the ladies' orchestra | soprano | |
| Fifi | spoken | |
| Annerl | spoken | |
| Eduard | spoken | |
Synopsis
Act OneIn the fictional state of Rurislavenstein, the scene opens in the glittering and the splendour of the Prunksaal des Schlosses Hall of the Prince of Flausenthurn. Princess Helene and Lieutenant Niki of the Army had earlier became lovers and soon were married in the splendid hall whereupon the father of the Princess, Joachim decided the apparent heir to his throne. In spite of this, Lieutenant Niki appeared to be sceptical of the prospect of being a Prince as it was not financially beneficial nor does it come with the elevated status which he sought. The marriage has also raised a few eyebrows among the courtiers as Niki was just a common soldier and the choice of marriage has been a hasty one. Niki also distanced himself from the Prince's favour when the former acknowledged the hasty marriage and raised suggestions for a separate bedroom from the newly-wed Princess. It also appeared to the dismayed Prince that Lieutenant Niki favours his hometown of Vienna rather than the interests of the State. Lieutenant Niki then chooses to leave the palace secretly with his comrade Lieutenant Montschi for a pleasurable evening in the Beer-Garden. Through this troubled backdrop, a scheming Count Lothar, who is envious of Niki hatches a plan of betrayal.
Act Two
At the Garten der Wirtschaft, Niki meets Franzi, a ladies' orchestra leader and is attracted to her. Franzi, apparently, has also had her heart won by him just as quickly as her criteria is that only a true Wienerin (Viennese) can do so. By the scheme of Count Lothar, the Prince and Princess Helene was also present at the same venue with the chambermaid Friederike von Insterburg. The Count also has eyes for Franzi, however, she gives him the cold shoulder. By that instance, Princess Helene and Franzi meets and the Princess gladly wants to know the Wienerin who has won her heart. The main waltz theme of the Walzertraum plays and Niki dances with the Princess Helene. Franzi, who watches the entire scene with a broken heart realises that Niki was actually the husband of the Princess.
Act Three
Back at the Prunksaal des Schlosses Hall, Princess Helen discovers Niki's unhappiness at the marriage. It transpires that Niki longs for the Viennese customs which he grows up with. An immediate change of environment was implemented, including a change of dress code, furniture and even the meals. A new chambermaid schooled in the Viennese customs was also installed to take charge of the domestic matters. Niki, as expected, warms down to the new surroundings which comes close to his heart and soon willingly accepts Princess Helene without restrictions although he clearly misses the pretty Franzi. Franzi, however, wisely renounces her affection for Niki and all ends happily ever after.
Musical numbers (English adaptation)
- Overture
Act I — Festival Hall in Prince Joachim's Castle at Flausenthurn.
- No. 1 — Opening Chorus — "Our hearts are filled with glee and festive loyalty, our Princess weds today!"
- No. 2 — Song — Friedericke, Sigismund and Chorus — "A maiden whom Cupid had not cajoled, of icy mold, distrait and cold"
- No. 3 — Entrance March and Hymn — "The trumpets blare! Let's welcome the happy pair!"
- No. 4 — Song — Niki — "Some men are born to rule the land, and purple robes they don them"
- No. 4a — Exit March
- No. 5 — Duet — Helene and Friedericke — "Our vows exchanged we're plighted, forever linked by Fate"
- No. 6 — Terzette — Friedericke, Niki and Joachim — "What a misfortune, woeful disgrace! It is too late our steps to retrace"
- No. 7 — Duet — Niki and Montschi — "The soft summer twilight was fading, I sat in the garden alone"
- No. 8 — Duet and Finale Act I — "My dearest love, why leave me all alone! For you I wait with anxious heart and true"
Act II — Garden Salon.
- No. 9 — March and Girls' Chorus — "Come, love, don't be shy, kissing time is nigh"
- No. 10 — Song — Franzi and Girls — "You may search the world around, nowhere will you find melody and beauty both"
- No. 11 — Duet — Niki and Franzi — "I beg you believe, sweetest maiden, that the love your charms inspire"
- No. 12 — Terzett — Helene, Franzi and Friedericke — "I am seeking for information that you, I'm sure, can quickly supply"
- No. 13 — Buffo-Duet — Lothar and Franzi — "Sweet music, so the poets say, maintains a universal sway" (4 verses)
- No. 14 — Finale Act II — "It is shameful! Sad mishap! Your father, caught in a trap"
Act III — Drawing Room in the Castle at Flausenthurn.
- No. 15 — Entr'acte Gavotte
- No. 16 — Trio — Niki, Lothar and Joachim — "Oh, these bores! I wish they'd leave me"
- No. 17 — Duettino — Friedericke and Franzi — "I am an humble lassie / I am a courtly dame"
- No. 18 — Finale Act III — Niki and Helene — "Music at night gives me thrills of delight, sweet visions of bliss realizing"
Films
Film versions included releases in Finland (1926) and Poland (1931). It was made into a 1931 Ernst LubitschErnst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his...
film entitled The Smiling Lieutenant
The Smiling Lieutenant
The Smiling Lieutenant is an American film directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Production background:...
, starring Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
and Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
. In 1969, a German television production was made.