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Music: |
Johann Strauss |
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Libretto: |
Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy |
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Premiere: |
Vienna, April 5, 1874 |
Strauss's ever-popular operetta is a madcap comedy of light-hearted deceit, filled
with lively dance music. Bourgeois citizen Eisenstein must go to prison because
of an oversight by his lawyer. Hearing this news, Alfred, former lover of
Eisenstein's wife, Rosalinda, decides to use her husband's absence to renew his
suit. Then Eisenstein's friend Falke arrives, dressed as a bat, and invites the
unwitting husband to postpone his imprisonment for a few hours and attend a
masquerade. The pair depart and Alfred arrives, only to be mistaken for
Eisenstein and carted off to jail. At the ball, Eisenstein is dazzled by a
mysterious Hungarian countess, who is none other than his wife in disguise.
Afterwards, he turns himself in at the jail, only to find Alfred and Rosalinda
already there. As the three confront each other, the rest of the cast magically
appears, tension dissolves and all unite in singing the praises of champagne.