Paganini (operetta)
Encyclopedia
Paganini is an operetta
in three acts by Franz Lehár
. The German libretto was by Paul Knepler and Béla Jenbach.
Lehár composed the work as a vehicle for Richard Tauber
, the acclaimed Austrian tenor
, though he assumed the role (with Vera Schwarz as the princess) in Berlin on 30 January 1926, rather than the Vienna premiere which was at the Johann Strauss Theater on 30 October 1925.
Chorus, Bavarian Symphony Orchestra
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 by Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
. The German libretto was by Paul Knepler and Béla Jenbach.
Lehár composed the work as a vehicle for Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Some critics commented that "his heart felt every word he sang".-Early life:...
, the acclaimed Austrian 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...
, though he assumed the role (with Vera Schwarz as the princess) in Berlin on 30 January 1926, rather than the Vienna premiere which was at the Johann Strauss Theater on 30 October 1925.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 30 October 1925 (Conductor: Franz Lehár) |
|---|---|---|
| Niccolò Paganini Niccolò Paganini Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique... , the violinist |
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... |
Carl Clewing |
| Maria Anna Elisa Elisa Bonaparte Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy, Princesse Française, Duchess of Lucca and Princess of Piombino, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Countess of Compignano was the fourth surviving child and eldest surviving daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino, making her the younger sister of... , Princess of Lucca Lucca Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca... and Piombino Piombino Piombino is an Italian town and comune of circa 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno . It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.-Overview:... , sister of Napoleon |
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... |
Emmi Kosáry |
| Prince Felice Baciocchi, her husband | 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... |
Peter Hœnselers |
| Bella Giretti, a dancer, romantically involved with the prince | soprano | Gisela Kolbe |
| Giacomo Pimpinelli, court chamberlain to the princess | tenor | Fritz Imhoff |
| Count Hédouville, a general | tenor | Felix Dombrowski |
| Bartucci, Paganini's impresario | 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... |
Max Brod |
| Countess De Laplace, a court lady | 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... |
|
| Corallina | soprano | |
| Courtiers, soldiers, peasants, servants etc. (chorus) | ||
Synopsis
Set in Lucca, the story concerns the love affair of Niccolò Paganini, the irresistibly charming violinist, with Élisa Bonaparte, the arts and theatre-loving younger sister of Napoleon.Notable arias
- "Liebe, du Himmel auf Erden" (Maria Anna Elisa)
- "Mit den Frau'n auf Du und Du" (Bella Giretti – Pimpinelli)
- "Niemand liebt dich so wie ich" (Maria Anna Elisa – Paganini)
- "Einmal möcht' ich was Närrisches tun" (Bella Giretti – Pimpinelli)
- "Gern hab ich die Fraun geküsst" (Paganini)
- "Deinen süssen Rosenmund..." (Paganini)
- "Wo meine Wiege stand, ich weiss es nicht" (Maria Anna Elisa)
Recordings
Lehár: Paganini, Bavarian State OperaBavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
Chorus, Bavarian Symphony Orchestra
- Conductor: Willi BoskovskyWilli BoskovskyWilli Boskovsky was an Austrian violinist and conductor, best known as the long-standing conductor of the Vienna New Year's Day Concert.-Professional biography:...
- Principal singers: Nicolai GeddaNicolai GeddaNicolai Gedda is a Swedish operatic tenor. Having made some two hundred recordings, Gedda is said to be the most widely recorded tenor in history...
, Anneliese RothenbergerAnneliese RothenbergerAnneliese Rothenberger was a German operatic soprano who had an active international performance career which spanned from 1943 to 1983...
, Heinz ZednikHeinz ZednikHeinz Zednik is an Austrian operatic tenor, closely associated with the character tenor roles of Wagner such as Mime and Loge and David...
, Benno Kusche, Olivera Miljakovic, Friedrich Lenz - Recording date: 1977
- Label: EMI ClassicsEMI ClassicsEMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
CD 65968