The merry Widow

the merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe) is a Opérette in three acts of Franz Lehar. The booklet was written by Victor Leon and Leo Stein according to the comedy of Henri Meilhac, the Embassy attach3e (1861).

The first took place the December 30th 1905 with the Theater year der Wien. the triumph is immediate and Europe accommodates it and Flers and Caillavet write of it a French version whose first will take place the April 28th 1909 in Apollo.

the merry Widow was played more than 300.000 times between its creation and the death of the type-setter in 1948. She is known and her airs fredonnés by all:

the air of Vilja
the duet “ Come in my pretty house ”
the duet “ exquisite Heure ”
the septuor “ Ah the women, women, women ”

Digest of the booklet (original version)

1. In Paris, with the hotel of the embassy of Pontévédro, a beautiful festival is organized for the birthday of the reigning Prince. The ambassador, the baron Mirko Zeta, after having carried a toast, worries about his wife, the beautiful Valencian. She chatters “ in all innocence ” with Camille of Roussillon which declares its flame to him, but she resists. Appears the widowed beautiful young person and of the banker of the court, Hanna Glawari. The count Danilo Danilowitsch, ghost from Maxim' S, is had a presentiment of by reason of State to become the husband of beautiful and rich widow. Danilo makes the deaf person ear because formerly, on refusal of his father, it had not been able to marry Hanna, then modest girl of the people.

2. The following day, the widow offers a reception in her residence; she says éprise of Camille, which opposes the official plans. Two duets, one riding, the other of love, show that Danilo and Hanna do not have to cease liking in spite of past time.

3. Evening at Maxim' S. After grinds adventures and intrigues, the widow will become the baroness Danilowitsch and the goods will remain pontévédrins.

Anecdotes

the name of Pontevedro is inspired by the Montenegro, small state of Balkans which was indeed, at the time of the writing of the operetta, in situation of bankruptcy and of which it was then current to make fun. The French version uses the name of Marsovie ; in Paris, Hanna Glawari becomes Missia Palmieri .

Discography

In German language and full version, one will retain the version of 1962 (recorded the 2-7, July 9th, 12th and th with Kingsway Hall, London) for EMI with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Josef Knapp, Hanny Steffek, Eberhard Waechter, Nicolai Gedda, Kurt Equiluz with the Philarmonia Orchestra directed by Lovro von Matačić; a production of Walter Legge.

There exists also a version directed by Herbert von Karajan, with Elizabeth Harwood, Rene Kollo, Teresa Stratas and Zoltán Kelemen; like another directed by John Eliot Gardiner, with Cheryl Studer, Bo Skovhus, Barbara Bonney and Bryn Terfel, both published at Deutsche Grammophon.

Catalog of films

1925 : the merry Widow , silent film of Erich von Stroheim with Mae Murray and John Gilbert.
1934 : the merry Widow , film of Ernst Lubitsch with Sleeve-board Mac Donald and Maurice Knight.
1952 : the merry Widow , film of Curtis Bernhardt with Lana Turner and Fernando Spangled.
… much of other versions, the ballets

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