What is this?

This is an attempt to introduce opera from the point of view of the present day.  Learn about opera in relationship to the modern world, the world you might see in a movie theater in a live from the Metropolitan Opera transmission, or on PBS, or at your local opera company.  The format allows you to skip around if you want or follow a guided program.

I am including films of complete operas, preferably with English subtitles.  This means that the complete films cannot be as up to date as I might prefer.  However, I can include arias by singers of today as separate examples.

Begin Here

Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus #12

The Opera

First performed in 1874, the musical style is Strauss waltzes with spoken dialog.
The plot is German operetta domestic comedy.

The most popular of the German operettas, of which there are many, is Die Fledermaus (The Bat) by Johann Strauss II.  Why has Fledermaus held its popularity for so many years?  Because the jokes still play today.  Only comic revenge is forever.  Because from beginning to end everyone is having fun.  Because every note is gorgeous in a work with some of Strauss's best waltzes. There is also quite a lot of marital hanky-panky.

There is a long standing tradition that from production to production completely different spoken dialog may appear.  Is Prince Orlofsky a real person, or is he also part of the joke?

The Story

Act I

The story begins in the living room of Gabriel and Rosalinde Eisenstein.  Gabriel has been sentenced to jail for talking back in court, among other things, and is scheduled to begin his sentence that evening.  His friend Falke arrives to invite him to a party instead.  The friend also invites Rosalinde to the same party and provides her with a disguise.  Rosalinde knows she is part of the joke.  The maid Adele pretends her mother is ill so she can also go to the party.

Rosalinde's old boyfriend the tenor Alfred arrives to flirt with her.  He puts on Gabriel's dressing gown just in time for the jailer to arrive to take Gabriel to jail. 

Hit Tune

Rosalinde persuades Alfred to pretend to be Gabriel and go to jail.  He must really like her.

Act II 

Then comes the party, for me the best of all operatic parties.  Prince Orlofsky is the host.

Hit Tune

I can't pick which I like best, so first we see Brigitte Fassbaender singing Orlofsky's aria.



One of the more entertaining mezzo-sopranos around today is Malena Ernman.  Notice how she ornaments the second verse like it was a Baroque aria.  I don't know anyone else that does this.



Everyone is in disguise.  Gabriel is supposed to be in jail, but instead he's here disguised as a Frenchman.  His wife Rosalinde arrives in disguise as a Hungarian countess.  Gabriel has a watch he uses to seduce women.  His wife knows this and steals it from him. 

Hit Tune

Herr Eisenstein thinks he spots his chambermaid, but she explains that this cannot possibly be true.  Edita Gruberova sings "Mein Herr Marquis."




This is the complete cast:  Gabriel van Eisenstein - Bernd Weikl, Rosalinde - Lucia Popp, Frank - Erich Kunz, Alfred - Josef Hopserwieser, Adele - Edita Gruberova and unlisted on YouTube Orlofsky - Brigitte Fassbaender.

Hit Tune

And here is the Czardas with Gundula Janowitz.

Act III

Everyone ends up at the jail.  Alfred gets out of jail.  Gabriel and Rosalinde make up, and he begins his jail sentence.  The Prince gets Adele a job in the theater.  "Und mein Schlafrock?"  "Requisite."  And my dressing gown?  A prop.  Thus Rosalinde escapes from entertaining Alfred at home.

Hit Tune

Adele explains that she doesn't wish to remain a chambermaid, but wants to go into show business.    "But do you have talent?"  Isabel Rey sings "Spiel ich die Unschuld vom Lande".

Complete Film

Conducted by Placido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa - Rosalinde, Hildegarde Heichele - Adele,
Herman Prey - Eisenstein, Doris Soffel - Prince Orlofsky.

This version, which takes place at the Royal Opera in London, is my favorite because it reflects my particular prejudices.  I like it to be in German, and here everyone except Kiri sticks to German.  It's like real life--when a group of people speak different languages, they mix it up.  I like Orlofsky to be a woman.  No men stealing women's roles for me.   Herman Prey is the best Eisenstein ever.


You may feel free to become a Fledermaus connoisseur.

Get me out of here!

More please.