La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
Encyclopedia
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein) is an opéra bouffe
(a form of operetta
), in three acts and four tableaux by Jacques Offenbach
to an original French libretto
by Henri Meilhac
and Ludovic Halévy
. The story is a satirical critique of unthinking militarism
and concerns a spoiled and tyrannical young Grand Duchess who learns that she cannot always get her way.
The opera premiered in Paris in 1867 and starred Hortense Schneider
in the title role. Thereafter, it was heard in New York, London and elsewhere, and it is still performed and recorded.
(1864) and La vie parisienne
(1866). With the original production of the latter still running, Offenbach and his librettists hurried to prepare a new opera, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, to play during the Paris Exposition (Exposition universelle
) of 1867. Offenbach assisted Meilhac and Halévy in shaping the libretto. They were eager to ensure a hit, and so they engaged the immensely popular Hortense Schneider
, who had created the title role in La Belle Hélène, among other Offenbach roles, paying her the extraordinarily rich monthly sum of 4,500 francs. Schneider, in addition to her vocal gifts, was well able to portray the commanding and saucy character of the Grand Duchess, which parodied Catherine the Great.
The April 1867 premiere was an immediate hit, and a parade of European royalty, drawn to Paris by the Exposition, attended performances of the operetta. Among those attending were French emperor Napoleon III; the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
; Tsar Alexander II of Russia
and his son Grand Duke Vladimir
; Franz-Joseph
, Emperor of Austria-Hungary
; Otto von Bismarck
, the Prime Minister of Prussia
; and other crowned heads, generals, and ministers. Of the military satire in the piece, Bismarck remarked, "C'est tout-a-fait ça!" (That's how it is!)
Three years later the Franco-Prussian War
broke out, and the operetta was later banned in France, because of its antimilitarism
, after the French defeat.
on 12 April 1867 and starred Hortense Schneider as the Duchess, who was highly successful in the title role. A Viennese production soon opened.
The piece was first heard in New York City, in French, in September 1867 at the Théâtre Français, where it ran for six months. In November 1867, the opera appeared at Covent Garden
, in an English translation by Charles Kenney, and a subsequent tour of that production starred Emily Soldene
.
The operetta was produced in English in New York City at the New York Theatre
in 1868, at Wood's Museum and Metropolitan beginning November 14, 1870, and at the Union Square Theatre beginning July 3, 1872. In 1869, the work was revived in Paris, with Zulma Bouffar
in the lead. The opera was heard in Australia in 1873, starring Alice May
, who also took the title role at the Gaiety Theatre, London
in 1876. Another English adaptation was presented at the Savoy Theatre
in London by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
in 1897–98 with a new translation by Charles Brookfield
and lyrics by Adrian Ross
, starring Florence St. John
, Florence Perry
, Walter Passmore
and Henry Lytton
. The production ran for 99 performances and was reviewed as vivacious, but sanitized and "prudish".
Productions during the 20th century included one at Daly's Theatre
in London in 1937. In the U.S., there were several presentations by the Santa Fe Opera
in 1971, which were repeated in 1972, 1974 and again in 1979. The singers for Santa Fe included Huguette Tourangeau
in the title role in 1972, and Donald Gramm
and Richard Stilwell in both 1971 and 1972. A 1977 production was given at the Collegiate Theatre in London, produced by Park Lane Opera, starring Patricia Routledge
. A French production starring Régine Crespin
was televised in 1980, and New York City Opera
mounted the piece in 1982.
A notable production was designed and staged by Laurent Pelly
in 2004 at the Théâtre du Châtelet
in Paris. It was conducted by Marc Minkowski
and starred Felicity Lott
, Sandrine Piau
and Yann Beuron. Minkowski restored several numbers cut after the first production. Both a CD and a DVD of the production are available, and it was televised in France in December 2004. Opera Company of Philadelphia
also mounted a production in 2004, starring Stephanie Blythe
. Los Angeles Opera
produced the piece in 2005. Theater Basel
had a production under Hervé Niquet
with Anne Sofie von Otter in the title role in 2009. Opera Boston
presented the work in 2011, starring Stephanie Blythe. The opera was produced by the Comic Opera Guild, near Detroit, Michigan
in the U.S., in 2011.
This visit proves fateful, for she falls desperately in love with the manly, handsome soldier Fritz, whose main passions in life are his love for the pretty Wanda and his hatred of General Boum. The Duchess immediately makes Fritz a corporal, and as she grows more and more delighted with him, he is promoted rapidly to sergeant, lieutenant and captain. Finally, to spite the General, she makes him commander-in-chief and sends him to conquer the enemy.
Instead of assassinating Fritz, the Duchess devises the lesser punishment of noisy serenades during his wedding night, and then hurries him off on a false alarm to fight the enemy. The enemy proves to be a jealous husband who mistakes him for another man and gives him a caning. Fritz is stripped of his military ranks, but he can now leave the army, return to Wanda, and become a village schoolmaster, albeit a rather illiterate one. General Boum is made happy by the restoration of his command; Baron Puck is reinstated to the royal favor from which he had meanwhile fallen; Baron Grog is sent home safe to his wife and four children; and Prince Paul is happily restored as the Duchess's bridegroom.
issue conducted by Michel Plasson
with Régine Crespin
as the Grand Duchess. An older mono recording under René Leibowitz
with Eugenia Zareska, though heavily cut, was well-received when reissued on compact disc in 1982. A 2006 release from Virgin Classics conducted by Marc Minkowski with Felicity Lott
contains much music cut after the first night and restored in Jean-Christophe Keck's critical edition, including what the critic Andrew Lamb
describes as "a substantial (and glorious) Act 2 finale".
Opéra bouffe
Opéra bouffe is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens that gave its name to the form....
(a form of operetta
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:...
), in three acts and four tableaux by Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
to an original French 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...
by Henri Meilhac
Henri Meilhac
Henri Meilhac , was a French dramatist and opera librettist.-Biography:Meilhac was born in Paris in 1831. As a young man, he began writing fanciful articles for Parisian newspapers and vaudevilles, in a vivacious boulevardier spirit which brought him to the forefront...
and Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy was a French author and playwright. He was half Jewish : his Jewish father had converted to Christianity prior to his birth, to marry his mother, née Alexandrine Lebas.-Biography:Ludovic Halévy was born in Paris...
. The story is a satirical critique of unthinking militarism
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
and concerns a spoiled and tyrannical young Grand Duchess who learns that she cannot always get her way.
The opera premiered in Paris in 1867 and starred Hortense Schneider
Hortense Schneider
Hortense Catherine Schneider, La Snédèr, was a French soprano, one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with the works of composer Jacques Offenbach.-Biography:...
in the title role. Thereafter, it was heard in New York, London and elsewhere, and it is still performed and recorded.
Background
Offenbach's career was at its height in the 1860s with the premieres of some of his most popular and enduring works, such as La belle HélèneLa belle Hélène
La belle Hélène , opéra bouffe in three acts, is an operetta by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
(1864) and La vie parisienne
La vie parisienne
La vie parisienne is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, composed by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy.This work was Offenbach's first full-length piece to portray contemporary Parisian life, unlike his earlier period pieces and mythological subjects...
(1866). With the original production of the latter still running, Offenbach and his librettists hurried to prepare a new opera, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, to play during the Paris Exposition (Exposition universelle
Exposition Universelle (1867)
The Exposition Universelle of 1867 was a World Exposition held in Paris, France, in 1867.-Conception:In 1864, Emperor Napoleon III decreed that an international exposition should be held in Paris in 1867. A commission was appointed with Prince Jerome Napoleon as president, under whose direction...
) of 1867. Offenbach assisted Meilhac and Halévy in shaping the libretto. They were eager to ensure a hit, and so they engaged the immensely popular Hortense Schneider
Hortense Schneider
Hortense Catherine Schneider, La Snédèr, was a French soprano, one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with the works of composer Jacques Offenbach.-Biography:...
, who had created the title role in La Belle Hélène, among other Offenbach roles, paying her the extraordinarily rich monthly sum of 4,500 francs. Schneider, in addition to her vocal gifts, was well able to portray the commanding and saucy character of the Grand Duchess, which parodied Catherine the Great.
The April 1867 premiere was an immediate hit, and a parade of European royalty, drawn to Paris by the Exposition, attended performances of the operetta. Among those attending were French emperor Napoleon III; the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
; Tsar Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
and his son Grand Duke Vladimir
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia ) was a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia...
; Franz-Joseph
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
, Emperor of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
; Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, the Prime Minister of Prussia
Prime Minister of Prussia
The office of Minister President or Prime Minister of Prussia existed in one form or another from 1702 until the dissolution of Prussia in 1947. When Prussia was an independent kingdom the Minister President or Prime Minister functioned as the King's Chief Minister and presided over the Prussian...
; and other crowned heads, generals, and ministers. Of the military satire in the piece, Bismarck remarked, "C'est tout-a-fait ça!" (That's how it is!)
Three years later the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
broke out, and the operetta was later banned in France, because of its antimilitarism
Antimilitarism
Antimilitarism is a doctrine commonly found in the anarchist and, more globally, in the socialist movement, which may both be characterized as internationalist movements. It relies heavily on a critical theory of nationalism and imperialism, and was an explicit goal of the First and Second...
, after the French defeat.
Performance history
It was first performed at Paris's Théâtre des VariétésThéâtre des Variétés
The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1975.-History:...
on 12 April 1867 and starred Hortense Schneider as the Duchess, who was highly successful in the title role. A Viennese production soon opened.
The piece was first heard in New York City, in French, in September 1867 at the Théâtre Français, where it ran for six months. In November 1867, the opera appeared at Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, in an English translation by Charles Kenney, and a subsequent tour of that production starred Emily Soldene
Emily Soldene
Emily Soldene was an English singer, actress, director, theatre manager, novelist and journalist of the late Victorian era and the Edwardian period...
.
The operetta was produced in English in New York City at the New York Theatre
Church of the Messiah (New York City)
The Church of the Messiah was a former Unitarian church located on 728-730 Broadway, near Waverly Place, Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York. The church was built 1839 and operated as such until 1865 when it was sold to department store-magnate A. T. Stewart and converted into a theater.The...
in 1868, at Wood's Museum and Metropolitan beginning November 14, 1870, and at the Union Square Theatre beginning July 3, 1872. In 1869, the work was revived in Paris, with Zulma Bouffar
Zulma Bouffar
Zulma Madeleine Boufflar, known as Zulma Bouffar, born Nérac 24 May 1841, died Couilly-Pont-aux-Dames 20 January 1909, was a French actress and soprano singer, associated with the opéra-bouffe of Paris in the second half of the 19th century who enjoyed a successful career around Europe.-Life and...
in the lead. The opera was heard in Australia in 1873, starring Alice May
Alice May
Alice May , sometimes known as Louise Allen, was an English singer and actress, perhaps best remembered as the creator of the soprano role of Aline in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer ....
, who also took the title role at the Gaiety Theatre, London
Gaiety Theatre, London
The Gaiety Theatre, London was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was established as the Strand Musick Hall , in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. It was rebuilt several times, but closed from the beginning of World War II...
in 1876. Another English adaptation was presented at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
in London by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
in 1897–98 with a new translation by Charles Brookfield
Charles Brookfield
Charles Hallam Elton Brookfield was a British actor, author, playwright and journalist, including for The Saturday Review. His most famous work for the theatre was The Belle of Mayfair ....
and 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 Florence St. John
Florence St. John
Florence St. John , was an English singer and actress of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras famous for her roles in operetta, musical burlesque, music hall, opera and, later, comic plays.-Life and career:...
, Florence Perry
Florence Perry
Florence Perry was an English opera singer and actress best known for her performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.-Biography:...
, Walter Passmore
Walter Passmore
Walter Henry Passmore was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company....
and Henry Lytton
Henry Lytton
Sir Henry Lytton was an English actor and singer who was the leading exponent of the comic patter-baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas in the early part of the twentieth century...
. The production ran for 99 performances and was reviewed as vivacious, but sanitized and "prudish".
Productions during the 20th century included one 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:...
in London in 1937. In the U.S., there were several presentations by the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
in 1971, which were repeated in 1972, 1974 and again in 1979. The singers for Santa Fe included Huguette Tourangeau
Huguette Tourangeau
Huguette Tourangeau, is a French-Canadian operatic mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.- Life and career :...
in the title role in 1972, and Donald Gramm
Donald Gramm
Donald Gramm was an American bass-baritone whose career was divided between opera and concert performances. His appearances were primarily limited to the United States, which at the time was unusual for an American singer...
and Richard Stilwell in both 1971 and 1972. A 1977 production was given at the Collegiate Theatre in London, produced by Park Lane Opera, starring Patricia Routledge
Patricia Routledge
Katherine Patricia Routledge, CBE is an English character comedy actress and singer. She is best known for her role as character Hyacinth Bucket in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances and Hetty Wainthropp in the British television series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates...
. A French production starring Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin was a French singer who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto soprano repertoire, drawing particular acclaim singing Wagner and Strauss heroines...
was televised in 1980, and New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
mounted the piece in 1982.
A notable production was designed and staged by Laurent Pelly
Laurent Pelly
Laurent Pelly is a French opera and theatre director. At the age of 18, he founded the Compagnie Théâtrale du Pélican which, since 1982, has been co-directed by Agathe Mélinand...
in 2004 at the Théâtre du Châtelet
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...
in Paris. It was conducted by Marc Minkowski
Marc Minkowski
Marc Minkowski is a French conductor of classical music, especially known for his interpretations of French Baroque works. His mother is American, and his father was Alexandre Minkowski, a Polish-French professor of pediatrics and one of the founders of neonatology...
and starred Felicity Lott
Felicity Lott
Dame Felicity Ann Emwhyla Lott, DBE, FRCM is an English soprano.-Education:From her earliest years she was musical, having started studying piano at age 5. She also played violin and began singing lessons at 12. She is an alumna of Royal Holloway, University of London, obtaining a BA in French and...
, Sandrine Piau
Sandrine Piau
Sandrine Piau is an opera soprano. Trained as a harpist, she studied voice at the Collège Lamartine and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique du Paris....
and Yann Beuron. Minkowski restored several numbers cut after the first production. Both a CD and a DVD of the production are available, and it was televised in France in December 2004. Opera Company of Philadelphia
Opera Company of Philadelphia
The Opera Company of Philadelphia is an American opera company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the city's only company producing grand opera. The organization produces four fully staged opera productions annually, encompassing works from the seventeenth through the 21st century...
also mounted a production in 2004, starring Stephanie Blythe
Stephanie Blythe
Stephanie Blythe is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer.-Biography:Blythe graduated from Monticello High School in 1987 and the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam in 1992. She was the recipient of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award in 1999...
. Los Angeles Opera
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...
produced the piece in 2005. Theater Basel
Theater Basel
Theater Basel is the municipal theatre of the city of Basel, Switzerland, which is home to the city's opera and ballet companies. The theatre also presents plays and musicals in addition to operas and operettas....
had a production under Hervé Niquet
Hervé Niquet
Hervé Niquet is a French conductor, harpsichordist, tenor, and the director of Le Concert Spirituel, specializing in French Baroque music.-Biography:...
with Anne Sofie von Otter in the title role in 2009. Opera Boston
Opera Boston
Opera Boston is an opera company in Boston, Massachusetts. It specializes in innovative repertoire and rarely heard works, along with opera education and outreach programs designed to bring opera education to children, in schools and after-school programs throughout the Boston area.Its home base is...
presented the work in 2011, starring Stephanie Blythe. The opera was produced by the Comic Opera Guild, near Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
in the U.S., in 2011.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, April 12, 1867, (Conductor: Jacques Offenbach) |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Duchess | 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... |
Hortense Schneider Hortense Schneider Hortense Catherine Schneider, La Snédèr, was a French soprano, one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with the works of composer Jacques Offenbach.-Biography:... |
| Fritz | 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... |
José Dupuis José Dupuis Joseph-Lambert Dupuis was a Belgian singer and actor. He was principally active in opéra-bouffe in Paris, in particular at the Théâtre des Variétés.-Career:... |
| Wanda | soprano | Émilie Garait |
| General Boum | 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... |
Henri Couderc |
| Prince Paul | tenor | Pierre-Eugène Grenier Pierre-Eugène Grenier Pierre-Eugène Grenier was a French actor-singer.-Life:A student of Joseph Isidore Samson at the Conservatoire, he won first prize in declamation before making his debuts at the Théâtre de l'Odéon in 1854 in the play The Barber of Seville by Beaumarchais... |
| Baron Puck | bass | Karl Knopp |
| Baron Grog | bass | Louis Baron Louis Baron Louis Baron, , stage name Baron, was a French actor and singer , born in September 1838 at Alençon, died in 1920.... |
| Népomuc, an aide-de-camp | tenor | Emmanuel Ronger, 'Gardel-Hervé' |
| Iza, a maid of honor | soprano | Berthe Legrand |
| Amélie, a maid of honor | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Véron |
| Olga, a maid of honor | soprano | Morosini |
| Charlotte, a maid of honor | mezzo-soprano | Marcourt |
Act 1
The 20-year-old Grand Duchess, who has been brought up by her tutor and court chamberlain Baron Puck to have her own way, is charming, though a veritable tyrant. She has been betrothed to the foppish Prince Paul but does not find him to her liking and, owing to her being in an unhappy state of mind over the affair, the Baron generates a war to amuse her. She decides to review her troops. There is a roll of drums, and the cry is started that the enemy is advancing, but it turns out to be her Highness.This visit proves fateful, for she falls desperately in love with the manly, handsome soldier Fritz, whose main passions in life are his love for the pretty Wanda and his hatred of General Boum. The Duchess immediately makes Fritz a corporal, and as she grows more and more delighted with him, he is promoted rapidly to sergeant, lieutenant and captain. Finally, to spite the General, she makes him commander-in-chief and sends him to conquer the enemy.
Act 2
Fritz wins the battle easily by making the whole opposing army drunk, his artillery consisting of 300,000 well-filled bottles. When he returns, crowned with victory, the delighted Duchess finds herself more enamored of him than ever, and hints at the possibility of his receiving other honors. However, she finds him a great blockhead in the matter, for he shows that he prefers his Wanda to such distinctions, and he incurs the Duchess's great displeasure by asking permission to marry Wanda at once. This proves the death-blow to the Duchess' devotion, and she conspires to assassinate Fritz upon his return from the wedding ceremony.Act 3
When everything is ready for the bloody deed, however, the Duchess changes her mind, which is now busied with a new affair with the Baron Grog. Her love life seems to be forever ill-starred, however, for this latest romance is blighted by the news that her beloved has a wife and four children. The Duchess becomes philosophic and decides to marry her original betrothed, Prince Paul, after all. To quote her own words, "What can one do? If you can't have those you could love, you must try to love those you can have."Instead of assassinating Fritz, the Duchess devises the lesser punishment of noisy serenades during his wedding night, and then hurries him off on a false alarm to fight the enemy. The enemy proves to be a jealous husband who mistakes him for another man and gives him a caning. Fritz is stripped of his military ranks, but he can now leave the army, return to Wanda, and become a village schoolmaster, albeit a rather illiterate one. General Boum is made happy by the restoration of his command; Baron Puck is reinstated to the royal favor from which he had meanwhile fallen; Baron Grog is sent home safe to his wife and four children; and Prince Paul is happily restored as the Duchess's bridegroom.
Act 1
| Number | Name | Character(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Overture | Orchestra |
| 1 a) | En attendant que l'heure sonne | Chorus (soldiers, peasant girls) |
| 1 b) | Song and Waltz | Fritz and chorus (soldiers, peasant girls) |
| 1 c) | Piff, paff, pouff | General Boum and men's chorus (soldiers) |
| 2 | Me voici, me voici! | Fritz and Wanda |
| 3 a) | Portez armes | Chorus |
| 3 b) | Rondo | Grand Duchess and chorus (soldiers) |
| 4 | Regimental Song | Fritz, Grand Duchess and chorus |
| 5 | Newspaper Report | Prince Paul and Grand-Duchess |
| 6 a) | Ils vont tous partir | Grand Duchess, Fritz, Wanda, Prince Paul, General Boum, Baron Puck and chorus |
| 6 b) | Couplets of the saber: Voici le sabre de mon père | Grand Duchess and chorus |
| 6 c) | Finale | Grande Duchess, Fritz, Wanda, Prince Paul, General Boum, Baron Puck and chorus |
Act 2
| Number | Name | Character(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Entracte | Orchestra |
| 8 a) | Enfin la guerre est terminée | Chorus (maids of honor) |
| 8 b) | Couplets of the letters: Je t'ai sur mon coeur | Chorus (maids of honor), Iza, Olga, Amélie, Charlotte (maids of honor) and Népomuc |
| 9 a) | Après la victoire | Grand Duchess, Fritz and chorus (courtiers) |
| 9 b) | Rondo: En très bon ordre nous partîmes | Fritz |
| 10 | Declaration: Oui, general/Dites-lui qu'on l'a remarque | Grand Duchess and Fritz |
| 10 (reprise) | Melodrama | Orchestra |
| 11 | Trio of the plot | Prince Paul, General Boum, Baron Puck |
| 12 | Melodrama | Orchestra |
Act 3
| Number | Name | Character(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Entracte | Orchestra |
| 14 | O, grandes leçons du passé | Grand Duchess and General Boum |
| 15 a) | Conspiracy scene | Men's chorus, Prince Paul, General Boum, Népomuc and Baron Puck |
| 15 b) | Song of the knife-sharpeners | Men's chorus, Baron Grog, Prince Paul, General Boum, Népomuc and Baron Puck |
| 9 (reprise) | Melodrama | Orchestra |
| 16 | Nuptial song | Chorus |
| 17 | Bonne nuit | Wanda, Fritz, Baron Puck, Prince Paul, Népomuc, General Boum, Baron Grog, chorus |
| 18 a) | Couplets of the newlyweds | Wanda and Fritz |
| 18 b) | Ouvrez, ouvrez! | Wanda, Fritz, Baron Puck, Prince Paul, General Boum, Baron Grog, chorus |
| 18 c) | A cheval! | Wanda, Fritz, Baron Puck, Prince Paul, Népomuc, General Boum, Baron Grog, chorus |
| 19 | Entracte | Orchestra |
| 20 a) | Wedding chorus | Grand Duchess, Baron Puck, Prince Paul, Népomuc, General Boum, Baron Grog and chorus |
| 20 b) | Toasting couplets | Grand Duchess and chorus |
| 21 | The General's Lament | Wanda, Fritz, General Boum, Baron Puck, Prince Paul, Baron Grog, Népomuc, Grand Duchess and chorus |
| 22 | Finale | Wanda, Fritz, Baron Puck, Prince Paul, General Boum, Baron Grog, Grand Duchess and chorus |
Recordings
Among the recordings of the work, critics have praised a 1977 CBSCBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
issue conducted by Michel Plasson
Michel Plasson
Michel Plasson is a French conductor.Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. He studied briefly in the United States, including time with Charles Münch...
with Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin was a French singer who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto soprano repertoire, drawing particular acclaim singing Wagner and Strauss heroines...
as the Grand Duchess. An older mono recording under René Leibowitz
René Leibowitz
René Leibowitz was a French composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher born in Warsaw, Poland.-Career:...
with Eugenia Zareska, though heavily cut, was well-received when reissued on compact disc in 1982. A 2006 release from Virgin Classics conducted by Marc Minkowski with Felicity Lott
Felicity Lott
Dame Felicity Ann Emwhyla Lott, DBE, FRCM is an English soprano.-Education:From her earliest years she was musical, having started studying piano at age 5. She also played violin and began singing lessons at 12. She is an alumna of Royal Holloway, University of London, obtaining a BA in French and...
contains much music cut after the first night and restored in Jean-Christophe Keck's critical edition, including what the critic Andrew Lamb
Andrew Lamb
Andrew Lamb , bishop of Brechin and bishop of Galloway, was probably son or relative of Andrew Lamb of Leith, a lay member of the general assembly of 1560...
describes as "a substantial (and glorious) Act 2 finale".
External links
- Libretto in WikiSource
- Libretto as originally submitted for censorship.
- Vocal score of the 1897 English version
- Information about the opera, particularly the Savoy Theatre production of 1897
- Programme from the 1897 London production
- Video from the 2004 Philadelphia Opera production, with Stephanie BlytheStephanie BlytheStephanie Blythe is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer.-Biography:Blythe graduated from Monticello High School in 1987 and the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam in 1992. She was the recipient of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award in 1999...