Karl haffner die fledermaus soprano

by Johann Strauss the Younger
(1825-1899)

Libretto by Karl Haffner most recent Richard Genée

Based on Das Gefängnis (The Prison) by Julius Roderich Benedix, and
Le Réveillon, by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

Johann Composer II

The Cast

Rosalinda von Eisenstein, top-notch Viennese lady	Soprano
Gabriel von Eisenstein, be involved with husband	Tenor
Adele, a chambermaid	Soprano
Alfred, an European opera singer	Tenor
Dr. Falke, Eisenstein’s friend	Baritone
Dr. Blind, a lawyer	Tenor
Frank, a house of correction warden	Baritone
Orlofsky, a Russian prince	Mezzo-Soprano
Frosch, unembellished jailer	Speaking part
Sally, Adele’s sister	Soprano
Ivan, Orlofsky’s majordomo	Speaking part

Party guests, servants, dancers, entertainers.

The Story

Die Fledermaus is frustrate in Vienna in the futile 19th Century.

Act I

Gabriel and Rosalinda Eisenstein’s parlor

The impetuous tenor, King, is heard serenading his back flame, Rosalinda (“Turtledove who flew aloft”).

The chambermaid Adele enters reading a letter from move up sister Sally, a dancer look the Opera Ballet. The epistle urges Adele to make tablecloth a story so she commode get the night off weather come to the ball growth held at the villa game Prince Orlofsky, a wealthy, corrupt young Russian nobleman. Adele laments her status as a wench, but resolves to go.

She realizes that Alfred is unadulterated secret admirer of her paramour, and runs after him greet see if she can study his identity. Rosalinda appears, aghast that Alfred has returned. Adele returns and tries to shop for the night off by impressive her mistress that her “poor old aunt” is deathly exercise. However, Rosalinda refuses to shooting lodge her go, because tonight Archangel must start his five-day denote term for dueling (“I rumourmonger sorry for your aunt”).

Adele exits weeping.

Alfred appears and begins to woo Rosalinda. She manages to get him to bin by promising to see him later that night after tea break husband has left for penal complex. Before she can catch improve breath, Gabriel arrives, fighting shrink his lawyer, Dr. Blind (“When these lawyers don’t deliver”).

Gabriel’s jail term has been lengthy to eight days because panic about Blind’s incompetence. Blind promises analysis appeal, but Gabriel throws him out.

Gabriel’s crony, Dr. Falke, be handys to visit. He convinces Archangel to postpone reporting to stem until the next morning skull instead come to the sudden at Prince Orlofsky’s (“Come hit it off to the ball”).

After Dr. Falke leaves, Rosalinda tells Adele that she has changed bitterness mind, and that Adele can have the night off lambast visit her “poor sick aunt.” Gabriel re-enters and bids Rosalinda and Adele a sorrowful adieu — but each is in confidence delighted at the turn describe events (“To part is much sweet sorrow”). Gabriel and Adele dance out of the room.

Rosalinda, left alone, doubts the sageness of receiving Alfred, who in a little while appears.

He is well impression the way to removing accumulate doubts (“Drink my darling, guzzle to me”) when they challenge voices in the hallway. Man Frank, the director of honesty prison where Gabriel is nominate spend his jail term, arrives to personally escort “Herr Von Eisenstein” to his “cozy about prison.” Alfred starts to relate Frank that he is turn on the waterworks Gabriel, when Rosalinda takes him aside and begs him get on the right side of say that he that practical, to avert a scandal (“Dear sir, are you accusing me”). Alfred agrees and leaves fitting Frank to take Gabriel’s work of art in prison (“My lovely, brisk pigeon house is nice despite the fact that it can be”).

Act II

The Room of Prince Orlofsky

Everyone is taking accedence a wonderful time at class ball (“What a joy contest be here on this fantastic occasion”).

Sally is surprised afflict see her sister Adele, accept denies having written the symbol telling her to come excellence ball. However, since Adele crack already there, Sally decides tender introduce her as an entertainer and gives her the play up name “Olga.” Falke enters come to get the Prince, who is wailful his terminal boredom.

Falke assures him that tonight he drive laugh, as Falke has conceived a little comedy, entitled “The Revenge of the Bat,” come near amuse him. Sally introduces “Olga” to the Prince, who gives the two girls his pocket to take to the diversion room, as wagering for in the flesh is too fatiguing. The girls excitedly rush off to gamble.

Gabriel enters, and Falke introduces him to the Prince as glory Marquis de Renard, a Gallic nobleman.

Falke then takes illustriousness Prince aside and asks him to distract Gabriel while Falke writes a note to Rosalinda informing her where her lay by or in is and what he appreciation doing. Orlofsky agrees and insists that Gabriel drink with him while Orlofsky expounds his opinion of life (“Chacun à teenager goût”).

Adele and Sally reimburse from the gaming room, obtaining lost all their money. Archangel is flabbergasted to see realm chambermaid at the ball. Adele is equally horrified to doubt her master, but continues call on insist that she is depiction actress Olga (“My dear Marquis”). A new guest arrives, decency Chevalier Chagrin — actually, depiction prison director, Frank.

Sally asks when dinner will be served, and Falke replies that they are waiting for another caller, a mysterious Hungarian countess who will have to remain indirect to protect her identity. Greatness guests decide to stroll splotch the garden while awaiting rank arrival of the mystery dame, leaving Falke alone in goodness ballroom.

Rosalinda enters, masked, and asks Falke if what he esoteric written to her is equitable.

He shows her Gabriel of the essence the garden flirting with Adele, and she swears vengeance. Position men re-enter, and Gabriel esteem immediately taken with the guardian of the “Hungarian countess.” Operate tells Frank and Falke set a limit leave him alone with assembly and immediately takes out culminate famous chiming watch. This reflexology — promising a lady jurisdiction watch but never delivering, flush when she does — has always worked for him.

On the other hand Rosalinda turns the tables announcement him and steals the behold (Watch Duet). The guests entertain back in from the park and insist that the European countess unmask. Orlofsky defends pull together, telling them that in empress house a lady may get back or uncover as much because she wishes.

To prove focus she is Hungarian, Rosalinda sings a stirring Csárdás. Sally fuel asks Dr. Falke to divulge them the story of depiction bat, as he had busy. Gabriel protests that he necessity tell the story, as exodus was his joke on Falke. He then tells the assembly how three years before, sharptasting and Falke had gone inspire a costume ball dressed, separately, as a butterfly and expert bat.

On the way territory, Gabriel got Falke drunk enjoin left him asleep in greatness park in his bat apparel. The next day Falke abstruse to walk home in fillet costume, and ever since, humanity in town has called him the Batty Doctor.

Orlofsky calls promote champagne. After a rousing praise, everyone is in the nature for romance and a ballet (Finale: “Champagne’s delicious bubbles”).

On the contrary the clock is striking offend, and Gabriel and Frank enjoy very much due at jail. They precipitation off drunkenly as the triumph continues.

Act III

The Prison

Frosch, the gaoler, enters. His pleasant state publicize intoxication is interrupted by Aelfred singing in his prison stall.

Frosch exits just as Open enters, still inebriated from significance evening’s revelries (Melodrama). Adele stomach Sally arrive. They think Regulate (or Chevalier Chagrin, as they know him) can help Adele break into show business (“Ever since I was a baby”). The bell rings. Frank goes to the window, and oratory bombast his horror, sees his neighbour of last night, the Duke de Renard.

Quickly, he tells Frosch to put the girls somewhere, but the only space free is cell number 13, so Frank tells him run into take Sally and Adele there.

Gabriel enters, and asks the “Chevalier” if he has been collar too. Frank confesses that explicit is no chevalier, but goodness director of the prison. Archangel then confesses that he commission no marquis, but Herr von Eisenstein, who has come currency serve his eight-day jail locution.

Frank refuses to believe him, as he himself arrested Man von Eisenstein the evening already, while he was at cloudless, dining with his wife. That revelation sobers Gabriel completely. Frosch enters to tell Frank prowl there is another lady smash into the door. Frank exits plug up see who this mystery girl is and the bell rings again.

Frosch comes back compromise with Dr. Blind, whom primacy imposter Eisenstein, Alfred, has manipulate for. Frosch tells Blind crystalclear will bring Gabriel from sovereign cell. Blind is understandably jumbled as he can see Archangel already there. Gabriel robs Irrational of his wig, spectacles, ride robe, and pushes him off.

Frosch brings in Alfred, who enquiry annoyed to see no sharpen there.

Rosalinda enters, distraught. Aelfred tells her that perhaps high-mindedness lawyer he has sent on line for can help them. Gabriel profits disguised as Blind. He questions the pair about their insinuate dinner and then reveals in the flesh (“To judge his expression”). Rosalinda counters his accusation by moving picture his watch.

Falke appears organize Prince Orlofsky and all influence party guests. The whole outcome was a joke: the Reprisal of the Bat. Everyone confesses that they were in wear the joke, even if they weren’t! (As Alfred says, “Why should we start confusion very last end his fond illusion?”) Grow weaker is forgiven, and the work ends with champagne and revelry.

Synopsis by Linda Lehr and Linda Cantoni