Gasparone
| Operas by Carl Millöcker |
|---|
Gräfin Dubarry (1879) |
Gasparone is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker to a German libretto by Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée. The libretto was later revised by Ernst Steffan and Paul Knepler. An amusing feature of the work is that the title character never appears and acts as a scapegoat upon which all the misdeeds in Syracuse, Sicily, can be blamed.[1]
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[edit] Performance history
The opera had its premiere on January 26, 1884, at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna. It was subsequently given in Berlin at the Friedrich-Wilhelmstädtisches Theater on September 26, 1884, and in New York City in German at the Thalia Theater in 1885 and in English at the Standard Theatre in 1885 and again in 1887 with Lillian Russell as Carlotta, Eugène Oudin as Count Erminio and J. H. Ryley.[2]
After its debut, Millöcker revised the piece, creating eight versions.[3] However, the most commonly used performing edition is that prepared in 1932 by the composer Ernst Steffan.[4] Nevertheless, as Andrew Lamb has pointed out, this revision introduced new material and "reduced the effectiveness of Millöcker's comic-opera structures" in order to suit the taste of the 1930s.[5]
[edit] Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, January 26, 1884 (Conductor: Carl Millöcker[6]) |
|---|---|---|
| Carlotta, widowed Countess Santa Croce | soprano | Maria Therese Massa |
| Count Erminio Saluzzo | tenor | Joseffy |
| Baboleno Nasoni, Bürgermeister von Toresino | bass | Felix Schweighofer |
| Sindulfo, his son | tenor | |
| Benozzo, landlord of the Fisherman's Inn | tenor | Alexander Girardi[6] |
| Sora, his wife | soubrette | Rosa Streitmann |
| Zenobia, duenna of the Countess | alto | |
| Massaccio, a smuggler , Benozzo's uncle | baritone | |
| Marietta, the Countess's maid | mezzo-soprano | |
| Luigi, Erminio's friend | speaking role | |
| Colonel Ruperto Corticelli | speaking role | |
| Lieutenant Guarini | speaking role | |
| Smugglers, Sora's friends, milkmaids, pesant girls, citizens of Syracuse, policement, customs officers, boatmen (chorus) | ||
[edit] Synopsis
- Place: Mediterranean coast near the town of Syracuse, Sicily
- Time: 1820
[edit] Film version
A film version was made in Germany in 1937. It was produced by Max Pfeiffer and directed by Georg Jacoby, with Marika Rökk (Ita), Johannes Heesters (Erminio), Heinz Schorlemmer (Sindulfo), Edith Schollwer (Carlotta), Oskar Sima (Massaccio), Leo Slezak (Nasoni), Rudolf Platte (Benozzo), Elsa Wagner (Zenobia), and Ursula Herking (Sora).[7] Karl Paryla directed another film version in 1956.[8] Television vesrions were made in 1963 by Hans Hollmann[9] and in 1972 by Wolfgang Liebeneiner.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ Lamb, Andrew. 150 Years of Popular Musical Theatre, p. 56 (2000) Yale University Press ISBN 0300075383
- ^ Review of 1887 New York production, The New York Times
- ^ Discussion of eight versions of the operetta Gasparone made by Millöcker
- ^ Traubner, Richard. Operetta: A Theatrical History, pp. 138–140 (2003) Routledge ISBN 0415966418
- ^ Lamb, Andrew (1992), "Millöcker, Carl" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- ^ a b Amadeus Almanac
- ^ Gasparone (1937) at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Gasparone (1956) at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Gasparone (TV 1962) at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Gasparone (TV 1962) at the Internet Movie Database
