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| '''''The Merry Widow''''' ('''''Die Lustige Witwe''''') is a musical ] or ] by the ] ], ]. The ]s |
'''''The Merry Widow''''' ('''''Die Lustige Witwe''''') is a musical ] or ] by the ] ], ]. The ]s, ] and ], based the story - concerning a rich widow, Anna Glawari, and her attempt to find a husband - on an ] comedy play, '']'' (''The Ambassador's Attache'') by ]. | ||
| The operetta was first performed at the ] in ] on ] ]. Well-known music from the ] includes the songs "Vilja", "You'll Find Me at Maxim's", and "The Merry Widow Waltz". | The operetta was first performed at the ] in ] on ] ]. Well-known music from the ] includes the songs "Vilja", "You'll Find Me at Maxim's", and "The Merry Widow Waltz". | ||
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| ===Act I=== | ===Act I=== | ||
| The ] in ] of the poverty-stricken ] of Pontevedro is holding a ball to celebrate the birthday of the sovereign, the ]. Anna Glawari, who has inherited twenty million francs from her late husband, is to be a guest at the ball and the ambassador, Baron Zeta, wants to ensure that she will marry another Pontevedrian and keep her fortune in the country, to save Pontevedro from ]. |
The ] in ] of the poverty-stricken ] of Pontevedro is holding a ball to celebrate the birthday of the sovereign, the ]. Anna Glawari, who has inherited twenty million francs from her late husband, is to be a guest at the ball and the ambassador, Baron Zeta, wants to ensure that she will marry another Pontevedrian and keep her fortune in the country, to save Pontevedro from ]. ] Zeta has in mind ] Danilo, an embassy ], but his plans are not going well. Danilo is not at the party, so Zeta sends the embassy secretary, Njegus, to fetch him from ]. | ||
| Danilo finally arrives and meets Anna. She encourages his attentions, recognising him as the young soldier who had courted her years ago before his uncle interrupted their romance. Their old love revives, but Danilo refuses to court Anna because of her fortune. She vows she will not marry him until he says 'I love you'. Ostensibly to save the country, Danilo looks for a suitable Pontevedrian husband for Anna. | Danilo finally arrives and meets Anna. She encourages his attentions, recognising him as the young soldier who had courted her years ago before his uncle interrupted their romance. Their old love revives, but Danilo refuses to court Anna because of her fortune. She vows she will not marry him until he says 'I love you'. Ostensibly to save the country, Danilo looks for a suitable Pontevedrian husband for Anna. | ||
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| ===Act III=== | ===Act III=== | ||
| Act III is set at a theme party in Anna's ballroom, which she has decorated as Maxim's, complete with ] |
Act III is set at a theme party in Anna's ballroom, which she has decorated as Maxim's, complete with their ]. Valancienne, who has dressed herself as a grisette, entertains the guests. When Danilo arrives, having found the real Maxim's empty, he tells Anna to give up Camille for the sake of the country. She agrees, much to Danilo's delight. On the discovery that the fan belongs to Valancienne, Zeta swears to ] his wife and marry the widow himself, but Anna tells him that she loses her fortune if she remarries. Hearing this, Danilo confesses his love for her and Anna triumphantly points out that she will lose her fortune only because it will become the property of her husband. Valancienne produces the fan and assures Zeta of her fidelity by reading out what she had replied to Camille's declaration: "I'm a highly respectable wife"; and all ends happily. | ||
| == Operetta versions == | == Operetta versions == | ||
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| The original German version and the French version differ. Act III of the German version is as described here, where Anna sets up a version of Maxim's at her home. Act III of the French version is set in the actual Maxim's. | The original German version and the French version differ. Act III of the German version is as described here, where Anna sets up a version of Maxim's at her home. Act III of the French version is set in the actual Maxim's. | ||
| ===New prologue=== | |||
| ⚫ | When Essgee Productions staged a production in capital cities around ] in ] and ], a ] was added, as an introduction to the earlier romance between Anna and Danilo. This featured a narrative, and ballet dancers in ] in the roles of the younger Anna and Danilo. | ||
| == Cast of characters == | == Cast of characters == | ||
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| | ] | | ] | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| == Trivia == | |||
| ⚫ | When Essgee Productions staged |
||
| In ], a Hungarian opera company toured Australia with a production of the operetta. | |||
| == Ballet version == | == Ballet version == | ||
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| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| ⚫ | * | ||
| * | |||
| ⚫ | *; | ||
| ⚫ | ==External |
||
| ⚫ | * | ||
| ⚫ | ==External links== | ||
| ⚫ | * | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 15:49, 16 November 2005
The Merry Widow (Die Lustige Witwe) is a musical comedy or operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer, Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story - concerning a rich widow, Anna Glawari, and her attempt to find a husband - on an 1861 comedy play, L'Attache d'ambassade (The Ambassador's Attache) by Henri Meilhac.
The operetta was first performed at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 30 December 1905. Well-known music from the score includes the songs "Vilja", "You'll Find Me at Maxim's", and "The Merry Widow Waltz".
Plot
Act I
The Embassy in Paris of the poverty-stricken Grand Duchy of Pontevedro is holding a ball to celebrate the birthday of the sovereign, the Grand Duke. Anna Glawari, who has inherited twenty million francs from her late husband, is to be a guest at the ball and the ambassador, Baron Zeta, wants to ensure that she will marry another Pontevedrian and keep her fortune in the country, to save Pontevedro from bankruptcy. Baron Zeta has in mind Count Danilo, an embassy attaché, but his plans are not going well. Danilo is not at the party, so Zeta sends the embassy secretary, Njegus, to fetch him from Maxim's.
Danilo finally arrives and meets Anna. She encourages his attentions, recognising him as the young soldier who had courted her years ago before his uncle interrupted their romance. Their old love revives, but Danilo refuses to court Anna because of her fortune. She vows she will not marry him until he says 'I love you'. Ostensibly to save the country, Danilo looks for a suitable Pontevedrian husband for Anna.
Meanwhile, Zeta's wife Valancienne has been flirting with a French count, Camille, who writes "I love you" on her fan. She puts off his advances, saying that she is a respectable wife. However, they lose the incriminating fan, which is found by N'jegus and given to Baron Zeta.
Act II
Act II is set at a party in the garden at Anna's house. Zeta fears that Camille is a threat to his plan to marry Anna to a Pontevedrian. Not recognising the fan as Valancienne's, he orders Danilo to find out the identity of its owner, who he assumes to be Camille's married lover. Anna sees the fan, and thinks the message on it is Danilo's declaration of love for her (which he denies).
Camille persuades Valancienne to meet him in the summerhouse. Zeta peeps through a keyhole and recognises his own wife. Anna changes places with Valancienne, confounding the Baron when they appear. Anna announces that she is to marry Camille, leaving Zeta distraught at the thought of losing the Pontevedrian millions. Danilo storms off to seek the distractions at Maxim's. Anna realises that his anger at the announcement of her engagement shows that Danilo loves her.
Act III
Act III is set at a theme party in Anna's ballroom, which she has decorated as Maxim's, complete with their grisettes. Valancienne, who has dressed herself as a grisette, entertains the guests. When Danilo arrives, having found the real Maxim's empty, he tells Anna to give up Camille for the sake of the country. She agrees, much to Danilo's delight. On the discovery that the fan belongs to Valancienne, Zeta swears to divorce his wife and marry the widow himself, but Anna tells him that she loses her fortune if she remarries. Hearing this, Danilo confesses his love for her and Anna triumphantly points out that she will lose her fortune only because it will become the property of her husband. Valancienne produces the fan and assures Zeta of her fidelity by reading out what she had replied to Camille's declaration: "I'm a highly respectable wife"; and all ends happily.
Operetta versions
Die Lustige Witwe was subjected to many revisions during translation and adaptation in the early 1900s. For instance, the 1907 London production, out of diplomacy, renamed many of the characters partly to avoid offense to Montenegro, where the royal family's surname was Njegus, the crown prince named Danilo, and Zeta was the principal founding state.
Two different English versions of the score exist. The first is a Dover edition of the 1907 Chappell & Co., London score, with character and place-names altered from their names in the original German. The second, published in 1958 by Glocken Verlag Ltd, London, is based on the edition by Ludwig Doblinger, Vienna. This last is said to be a "new version" with "orchestration carefully arranged" for modest or large orchestras. The 1958 version is one whole-tone lower. In the 1907 edition, Camille sings a high C in the "Rosebud Romance", instead of B flat. The Danilo and Sonia/Anna humming of the waltz theme becomes a chorus number in the 1958 score, and the 1907 ending of the "Rosebud Romance" is sung mostly in unison rather than as a conversation.
The original German version and the French version differ. Act III of the German version is as described here, where Anna sets up a version of Maxim's at her home. Act III of the French version is set in the actual Maxim's.
New prologue
When Essgee Productions staged a production in capital cities around Australia in 1998 and 1999, a prologue was added, as an introduction to the earlier romance between Anna and Danilo. This featured a narrative, and ballet dancers in silhouette in the roles of the younger Anna and Danilo.
Cast of characters
| role | name used in 1907 Chappell edition | name used in 1958 Glocken edition | vocal part |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Baron | Baron Popoff | Mirko Zeta | bass |
| the Baron's wife | Valencienne | Valencienne | soprano |
| the widow's beloved | Prince Danilo Danilovitsch | Count Danilo Danilovitsch | tenor |
| a wealthy widow | Sonia Glaward | Anna Glawari | soprano |
| the Baroness's paramour | Vicomte Camille de Jolidon | Camille, Count de Rosillon | tenor |
| the Embassy Secretary | Nisch | Njegus | tenor |
Ballet version
Sir Robert Helpmann used the operetta's music, and adapted its plot for his scenario, in creating his three act ballet, The Merry Widow, first performed in 1975 by the Australian Ballet Company.