EVENINGS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC - BAHRAIN - |
PROGRAMME FOR 9 FEBRUARY 2000 |
A VALENTINE CELEBRATION DIE FLEDERMAUS - OPERETTA BY JOHANN STRAUSS Jnr |
Operetta in three acts Libretto: Haffner and Genee Premiere: 5 April 1874 in Vienna |
CAST (in order of appearance) Adele, Rosalinde's maid Rosalinde, Gabriel's wife Alfred, opera singer, Rosalinde's ex lover Gabriel von Eisenstein, rich businessman Dr. Blind, Gabriel's lawyer Dr. Falke, solicitor, Gabriel's friend Colonel Frank, prison governor Ida, Adele's sister Ivan, Orlofsky's servant Orlofsky, Russian prince Guests of Prince Orlofsky: Frosch, goaler |
- Hildegarde Heichele - Kiri Te Kanawa - Dennis O'Neil - Hermann Prey - Paul Crook - Benjamin Luxon - Michael Langdon - Ingrid Baier - Richard Hazell - Doris Soffel - Dr. Evadne Hinge & Dame Hilda Bracket - Charles Aznavour - Merle Park & Wayne Eagling - Josef Meinrad |
Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden conducted by PLACIDO DOMINGO Recorded on 31 December 1983 at Covent Garden |
THE STORY The action takes place at a Spa in the neighbourhood of a large town on an April evening and the following morning in 1874. Dr. Falke, a solicitor, has planned a neat revenge for a practical joke that his friend Gabriel von Eisenstein played on him when both were walking home after drinking too well at a fancy dress ball. Gabriel had left him sleeping on a bench, so that when he awoke he had to make his way across town in broad daylight, still dressed in the costume of a bat, to the amusement of all the market women and children. ACT 1 - A room in Eisenstein's house Adele is reading a letter from her sister Ida. Strains of a tenor voice can be heard from the street; it is Alfred singing a serenade to Rosalinde. The letter instructs Adele to borrow a dress from her mistress and meet her sister at a party to be given that night at Prince Orlofsky's villa. Rosalinde enters the room, disturbed by Alfred's indiscreet serenade; she is able to resist his conversation, but his top "C" defeats her. Adele loses no time in asking her mistress for the evening off so that she may visit her "sick aunt", but Rosalinde will not agree; her husband Gabriel must go to prison that night to serve a sentence of five days for insulting a policeman. Alfred appears. Rosalinde begs him to leave before her husband comes in, and Alfred obeys; not, however, before he has extracted a promise that he may return when Gabriel has gone to prison. Now Gabriel arrives, quarrelling furiously with his lawyer, Dr. Blind, whose incompetent advocacy, he says, has caused three more days to be added to the sentence. Rosalinde tries to pacify him. When the insulted Dr. Blind has departed, Adele announces Dr. Falke, and Rosalinde leaves the two friends to talk. At once Falke tells Gabriel to dress and go with him to a party at Prince Orlofsky's villa; he can report to the prison in the morning. At first Gabriel hesitates, then he yields as he sees the prospect of an evening in "high society", with dancing girls and an opportunity to display his chiming watch - a decoy that never fails to deceive the ladies. By the time Rosalinde comes in again the two men are already in a party mood. Falke takes his leave, Gabriel goes inside to dress, and the bewildered Rosalinde calls Adele to tell her that she may have the evening off after all. They take a sad farewell of Gabriel (who is ostensibly setting out for prison wearing an evening dress), although the three of them can hardly suppress the excitement of their individual secret expectations. No sooner is Rosalinde left alone than the persistent Alfred returns. He dons Gabriel's dressing-gown and invites Rosalinde to share with him a bottle of her husband's Tokay. He sings, and Rosalinde laughingly joins in the refrain. They are interrupted by Colonel Frank, the governor of the prison, who has decided to honour Gabriel by calling personally to escort him to prison. Rosalinde cannot allow Alfred to deny that he is Gabriel von Eisenstein; he must "accept what cannot be helped" and go off with Frank to the prison. Frank believes Rosalinde's assurances, but grows impatient with the exaggerated farewells that follow, and hurries Alfred away to prison. ACT TWO - The party at Prince Orlofsky's villa Adele, meeting her sister Ida among the guests, finds the letter was not written by her at all. Ida knows nothing of the invitation. Falke, entering the room with Orlofsky, quickly presents Adele as "Mademoiselle Olga", a young singer. He has already told Orlofsky that he has arranged a little comedy for the party, entitled The Bat's Revenge, and he now explains that this "Olga" is a maid in the house of the comedy's "hero". Gabriel, the "hero", now arrives. Falke introduces him as "Marquis Renard". Orlofsky then explains to the company his Russian manner of entertaining, with a strong hint that his guests will have to enjoy themselves, or they will incur his displeasure. Adele takes advantage of Gabriel's embarrassment when he recognises her. She sings him a little song warning him not to be misled by a chance resemblance when meeting a new face. "Chevalier Chagrin" is announced, and Falke tells Orlofsky that this is Colonel Frank, the governor of the prison and another unwitting member of the cast of his little comedy. Last of all, Rosalinde arrives wearing the costume of a Hungarian countess, her face masked. Gabriel is immediately fascinated by this mysterious lady. He produces his irresistible chiming watch, always to be dangled as bait, never to be parted with; but Rosalinde is clever, and the watch is soon in her possession, a useful piece of evidence. When Adele, Frank and other guests wish the mysterious lady to take off her mask, Orlofsky interposes saying that in his house any lady may reveal her identity or not as she pleases, whereupon Rosalinde offers to prove her Hungarian origin by singing a Czárdás. Orlofsky then proposes a toast to Champagne, and under the inspiring influence of the "king of wines", all take part in an ensemble of infectious lightheartedness, a hymn to comradeship, a Viennese "Auld Lang Syne", as it were. Dancing follows and then, as the clock strikes six, Gabriel, having tried in vain to see the face of the mysterious countess, rushes away to present himself at the prison. ACT THREE - The prison governor's office The governor returns to his prison to find the goaler, Frosch (who has been drinking heavily), trying to silence Alfred, the supposed Gabriel von Eisenstein, who is annoying him by continuously singing in his cell. Frank is hardly in a fit state to resume his official duties. His mind is rather hazy, and he imagines that he is still at Orlofsky's party, with Ida and "Olga". Adele enters the office with Ida. She admits to Frank that she is not yet the professional singer who, as "Olga", she was supposed to be, but she suggests that he might have her trained for the stage. She sings a couplet to show off her particular talent for playing a variety of different characters. Frosch announces the "Marquis Renard", and Frank has the two girls hustled out to a vacant cell before having him shown in. The "Marquis" surprises Frank by claiming to be Gabriel von Eisenstein. Frank reveals his true identity as governor of the prison, telling the "Marquis" that he himself had interviewed his new prisoner, the true Gabriel von Eisenstein, at his home taking supper with his wife, and that he now has him locked up in cell number 12. Frosch has yet another prisoner waiting, a lady who is veiled and does not want to give her name. Frank quickly goes out to with Frosch to see her, leaving "Marquis Renard" pondering over what he has just been told. The next person to arrive is Dr. Blind, Gabriel's incompetent lawyer. Gabriel orders him quickly to exchange clothes with him in another room, and Frosch brings in Alfred, as "Herr von Eisenstein", to an empty office. Rosalinde now comes in undisguised, and warns Alfred that her husband is about. Alfred tells her that he has demanded to see a lawyer, and at that moment Gabriel appears disguised as Dr. Blind, resulting in confusion and mutual reproaches. Then Rosalinde produces the famous chiming watch, and Gabriel is in no position to make any accusations. All the other party guests now arrive with Orlofsky to witness the end of Falke's comedy of revenge. Gabriel is assured that Alfred's tete-a-tete with Rosalinde was also part of Falke's plot. Orlofsky promises to have Adele trained for the stage. Everyone is satisfied. It was champagne that caused all their troubles and so, led by Rosalinde, they all sing a final song in praise of the "king of all wines". |
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