Contents Characters | 3 Synopsis | 4 Composer | 6 Historical background | 6 Cast Q & A | 8 Additional resources | 10
New to opera? Be sure to check out our educator’s guide, Your Guide to Opera, available as a free download online. It is designed to supplement this guide and offers an overview of the history of opera, activities for your class and useful information about attending our dress rehearsals with students.
Nothing beats the excitement of live opera! For more information on how your class can attend a dress rehearsal at special student pricing, contact us by email at education@ edmontonopera.com or visit us online at edmontonopera. com/discover/education.
2
Special thanks to our education community partners:
Photo: Set courtesy of Utah Opera
Characters
Pritschitsch. For Sylviane, the vocal range is between a D to top A flat, and the vocal range for Praskovia is a D to a D.
(In order of vocal appearance) Vicomte Cascada & Raoul St. Brioche | baritones Diplomatic guests at the embassy. Though entangled with married ladies, they are also rivals for the hand of the widow. They are both conceited, shallow and rather ridiculous. For St. Brioche, the vocal range of the role is from a low D to a top F; Cascada’s range is from a middle C to a top F.
Kromow | baritone An attaché who is forever nagging his wife, Olga, about flirting. He is self-important, with an absurdly over-punctilious manner. The vocal range of this role is from a low B flat to top E flat. Olga | mezzo-soprano The wife of Kromow. She enjoys dressing up and going to dances with the other ladies; she is a little nosey. She keeps her husband in order. The vocal range of this role is a low D to top E flat.
Valencienne | soprano She loves playing the game of high society, which she has married into. However, maintaining an aura of respectability is very important to her. She walks a very fine line between social prestige and disaster. The vocal range of this role is between a low B flat to a top B flat.
Njegus | speaking role Baron Zeta’s factotum. He is sly and amusing, with a distinct personality.
Camille de Rosillon | tenor The ardent young Frenchman in love with Valencienne. The vocal range of this role is between a middle C and A flat, with optional B flat.
Hanna Glawari | soprano The Merry Widow. She is pretty, vivacious and everything her nickname implies. The vocal range of this role is between a low B flat to top B flat with optional C.
Bogdanowitsch & Pritschitsch | baritone & tenor Pontevedrian consuls who hang out with Baron Zeta and the other men, to try to find out a way to keep Hanna Glawari’s millions in the country. For Bogdanowitsch, the vocal range is between a middle C to a top E flat.
Count Danilo Danilowitsch | baritone The greatest playboy in the country of Pontevedro, who spends his time in Paris avoiding work at all costs. A great lover of wine and women, he is in a constant state of recovery from the previous evening.
Sylviane & Praskovia | soprano & mezzo-soprano Lady guests at the embassy. Praskovia is married to 3
Synopsis
Maxim’s (“I’m off to Chez Maxim’s”). Zeta mentions Hanna’s arrival to Danilo, who has a less-thanenthusiastic reaction. It turns out that Danilo and Hanna were in love many years ago, but Danilo’s family was against the match. Hanna and Danilo find themselves seated together and Danilo tells Hanna that he will never says he loves her, because it will be interpreted that he loves her money.
Music by Franz Lehár. Libretto by Leo Stein and Viktor Léon. Premiered Dec. 30, 1905 Act I | The Pontevedrian embassy in Paris A party is underway to celebrate the Pontevedrian prince’s birthday at the embassy in Paris. Baron Mirko Zeta, the leader of the embassy staff, is most concerned about finding Hanna Glawari, the widow of one of the richest men in Pontevedro. Zeta is afraid that Hanna will find a new husband among the Parisian men and take her money out of the country.
Zeta tells Danilo that it is his patriotic duty to marry Hanna and save Pontevedro’s future. The final dance is announced as Ladies’ Choice and Danilo outmaneuvers all the other men to dance with Hanna. Act II | Hanna Glawari’s house, the next evening
Zeta’s young French wife, Valencienne, has been flirting with Camille de Rosillon, who tells her of the seriousness of his love (“I’m a highly respectable wife”). Zeta sends the embassy secretary, Njegus, to ensure that Count Danilo is available when Hanna arrives. Zeta hopes that Danilo, a Pontevedrian, will be able to woo Hanna and keep her money in the country. Zeta considered asking Camille to woo Hanna, but discovered that Camille is in love with a married woman.
A genuine Pontevedrian party is underway when Hanna interrupts to sing the ballad of Vilja, a forest nymph who fell in love with a mortal man (“There once lived a Vilja”).
Hanna makes her entrance and invites everyone to a party at her house the following evening. Zeta welcomes Hanna, who is quite aware of the baron’s interest in her money, and she assures him that she is a Pontevedrian at heart.
Zeta asks Njegus and Danilo to meet him in the summerhouse for a conference and with other men from the party, they reflect on how difficult it is to figure out women (“Oh these women, dreadful women”). Prior to the impromptu conference, Valencienne and Camille meet in the summerhouse where Valencienne reluctantly asks Camille to propose to Hanna. Njegus, having seen the wouldbe lovers enter the summerhouse, quickly assists Valencienne out the back when Zeta swears he saw her in the summerhouse with an unknown man. Zeta looks again and sees Hanna with Camille.
With her male admirers in tow, Hanna leads them into an adjoining room for the festivities. Danilo arrives and declares that after a hard day’s work for his country, he likes nothing better than a visit to
Hanna announces that she and Camille are to be engaged, to the annoyance of Danilo and Valencienne, who perceives Camille to be fickle. The jealous Danilo sings a sad song and heads off to Maxim’s 4
to forget his troubles. Act III | Chez Maxim’s At Chez Maxim’s, Valencienne and the dancing girls are singing and dancing. Danilo enters and is greeted by a telegram confirming that unless money is found immediately, the Pontevedrian treasury will be bankrupt. Hanna tells Danilo that the events in the pavilion were not as they seemed and she never intended to marry Camille. Danilo admits that he loves her and they waltz together. Zeta is overjoyed under he discovers his wife’s fan in the pavilion and realizes she betrayed him. He declares himself divorced and free to marry Hanna himself. Hanna tells him that as per her late husband’s will, she is forbidden to marry again or lose her inheritance.
Act II scenery, in Hanna’s garden. Photo: Set courtesy of Utah Opera
As it turns out, the fan has Valencienne’s writing on it, reading, “I am a respectable wife.” Danilo is delighted that he is free to propose to Hanna, who tells him that she will indeed lose her fortune because it will pass to her new husband. Danilo laughs and realizes that he will marry the woman that he loves and save his country at the same time. All join in the final ode to the mystery of women.
Act III scenery, at Chez Maxim’s. Photo: Set courtesy of Utah Opera
5
Composer
into his compositions. His success during the 1920s was also aided by his work with tenor Richard Tauber. Giuditta, in 1934, was Lehár’s last work, produced at the Vienna Staatsoper, and blurring the lines between operetta and opera. By establishing the Glocken Verlag publishing house in 1935, he gained the rights to most of his compositions, with the notable exception of The Merry Widow. His villa is bequeathed to the city and has been preserved as a museum and monument to the composer.
Franz Lehár 1870 – 1948
Born April 30, 1870, in Komárom, Hungary, Franz Lehár would live through all of the political and cultural convulsions of the first half of the 20th century, by the time of his death at age 78 on Oct. 24, 1948, in Bad Ischl, Austria. He studied violin and music theory at the Prague Conservatory, and was encouraged by Anton Dvořák to pursue composition. As a violinist, Lehár would often create solo violin sequences in his works. His professional music career started in 1888 when he became a theatre violinist in Barmen-Elberfeldt. He served his compulsory military service as a musician in the 50th Austrian infantry regiment band, where his father was the bandmaster. Lehár became a bandmaster
himself in 1890, leaving at one point for the production of an opera, but returning to his post when it failed. In 1899, he became the bandmaster of the 26th infantry regiment band. After completing his military service in 1902, he continued to write operettas — The Merry Widow was not his first, but by far his most successful. His popularity declined after the First World War with the introduction of American music, but he combatted this by incorporating those sounds
Historical background Courtesy of Virginia Opera
A masterpiece of operetta literature, The Merry Widow has cast an enduring spell over the public since its premiere on Dec. 30, 1905. Written at a time when operettas were past their zenith and beginning to wane in popularity, The Merry Widow breathed new life into the genre and began a new era for the Viennese style waltz-operetta. Operetta as a musical form can trace its beginnings back to Italian opera buffa, the French opera comique and the German singspiel. It generally contained comedy, lighter subject matter, music, dancing and, most importantly, spoken dialogue. Operetta developed into distinct national styles, such as French (Offenbach), Viennese (Strauss) and English (Gilbert & Sullivan). 6
was in the Balkans. The setting of the operetta is the Paris Early in 1905, the librettists Viktor Léon and Leo Stein had embassy of a small, fictional country called Pontevedro. In adapted a successful comedy by Henri Meilhac titled L’attaché actuality, Pontevedro was a thinly veiled representation of d’ambassade, and had asked the composer Richard Heuberger Montenegro, one of the Balkan states. Students in Croatia to compose the music. After Heuberger had completed most of marched in protest and assailed the cast becasue they felt the the score, the librettists decided that the music did not achieve operetta made light of the southern Slavs and their legations the appropriate Balkan atmosphere they were seeking and abroad. Several years later, when a film version was produced, asked Franz Lehár to read the libretto. Lehár was excited by this the exiled crown prince of Montenegro (whose name, opportunity, accepted the commission and began composing coincidentally, was the same as the leading male character almost immediately. Danilo) voiced great displeasure that his namesake character appeared inebriated in uniform. The finished work had proceeded well into the rehearsal period when Lehár was presented with a seemingly insurmountable The continuing appeal of The Merry Widow lies in its music. problem. The two managers of the Theater an der Wien, Lehár’s beautiful melodies have never become timeworn and Wallner and Karczag, took a dislike to the music and wanted seem fresh each time they are heard. His orchestral colourng to cancel the production. Lehár was completely astonished shows a musical sophistication, reminiscent of Puccini, and Viktor Léon, one of the two librettists, engaged a lawyer Debussy and Richard Strauss. Lehár was even said to have to force the theatre management to fulfill their contract. The suffered from “Puccinitis” because of his close friendship theatre staff and the artists wanted the operetta to go on and with Puccini and his admiration for Puccini’s music. The volunteered their free time to rehearse. Viktor Léon had the leading characters in The Merry Widow have innovative task of finding scenery and costumes for the production. The entrance numbers in which the orchestra brilliantly portrays day before dress rehearsal, Lehár was able to have his only the atmosphere of the scene as well as underlying aspects of rehearsal with the orchestra, and the cast worked late into the the characters’ personalities. Throughout the work there is night. The dress rehearsal itself was not auspicious. Despite all a level of eroticism implicit in the music which previously the setbacks the premiere was a triumph. The audience was had never been experienced in operetta. With his talent wildly enthusiastic and demanded numerous curtain calls. for tender lyricism and swaying musical phrasing, plus his Triumph in Vienna was rapidly followed by its wide popularity technical knowledge of serious music, Lehár was able to place throughout the world. At one point in Buenos Aires, The Merry the operetta into the opera house. With his musical output of Widow was being presented simultaneously in five different some 30 operettas, some with serious subjects, Lehár gave the theatres in five different languages. operetta genre one final crown of glory before it made way for the development of the American musical that was to follow The only place The Merry Widow ever created a note of discord later in the 20th century. 7
Q & A with The Merry Widow artists
Ron Long | tenor, Raoul St. Brioche
We asked the artists a couple of questions to help our audiences get to know the personalities on stage. Biographies of the full cast for The Merry Widow can be found at edmontonopera.com.
Have you performed in Edmonton before? The most recent Edmonton Opera productions I’ve been in are Salome as the Slave and I played the role of the Messenger in Aida. Over the years I’ve had several comprimario roles and have sung in the chorus. I have been involved with Edmonton Opera since 2000 — I think the first opera I was in was The Magic Flute. As well, I have several students in the chorus.
Michael Nyby | baritone, Count Danilo Danilowitsch Do you have a personal connection with The Merry Widow and/or the role you are performing with the Edmonton Opera? This is my third production of The Merry Widow, but the first one in 10 years. It’s by far my favourite operetta. I performed the role of Cascada in both previous productions. In fact, the last time I did the production, St. Brioche was the inimitable Adam Fisher, whom I am absolutely delighted to be performing with again, this time as Danilo and Camille.
Which composer is your favourite, and why? I love Verdi for his tunes and Mozart for the sublime, uplifting nature of his music. Dion Mazerolle | baritone, Bogdanowitsch Is there anything we should know about you that is particularly interesting? I come from a large and musical family — my mother’s brothers had a rock/ country band that has recorded a few CDs. Our family get-togethers when I was young were spent singing old rock and bluegrass music.
What first interested you in opera? I got into opera as a teenager in order to impress a girl. True story. She was really into opera and I was determined to get her to like me by becoming an opera singer. I succeeded at becoming an opera singer.
8
Which composer is your favourite, and why? Even if I don’t get to sing his music often I do love to listen to Vivaldi operas. I find Vivaldi writes very well for the voice and the music is very exciting to listen to.
Jacques Arsenault | tenor, Pritschitsch
Tanya Roberts | soprano, Valencienne
What first interested you in opera? In high school I had a crush on a girl in my class who studied the piano, so I started listening to classical music so I’d have more to talk about with her. I then took voice lessons during my undergraduate studies at the University of Prince Edward Island. I performed my first operatic roles at the University of Alberta and fell in love with the art form. During those years, I had also fallen in love with my high school classmate and we’re still together 13 years later.
Do you have a personal connection to The Merry Widow and/or the role you are performing with the Edmonton Opear? Because I’m currently working and living in Vienna, I was able to purchase the score in person at the music shop Doblinger, which is still the sole published of The Merry Widow. If I understood the shopkeeper’s German correctly, when the score was first published in the early 1900s, all of the printing was done on the floor directly above the retail shop (still in use today).
Is there anything we should know about you that is particularly interesting? I started playing music when I got an accordion for my fifth birthday. I studied the accordion for 14 years, including a year of studies in a Parisian conservatory. Unfortunately for me, that was before hipsters made the instrument cool again ... but I’ve since dusted it off and hope to bring it out in performance sometime soon.
Is there a particular part in The Merry Widow that you’re looking forward to performing? There is a gorgeous duet for Valencienne and her lover Camille in Act II. As a light lyric soprano who plays a lot of younger sisters and maids, I don’t typically get a chance to sing sweeping legato lines pouring over with emotion. Lehár was influenced a lot by Puccini, and this duet demonstrates it best.
Alexander Hajek | baritone, Baron Mirko Zeta
to the dress rehearsal, and I was amazed that you could sing in such a big house, and in English, and be understood without resorting to supertitles. I have made it something I strive for whenever I perform in English.
Do you have a personal connection with The Merry Widow and/or the role you are performing with the Edmonton Opera? I saw a production of The Merry Widow at the Metropolitan Opera. At the time, our English diction teacher at school was coaching it for the singers. She invited us
What advice would you give to aspiring artists? Learn to do things in your free time that have nothing to do with singing. [It will allow you to be] informed about being a better artist and citizen of the world. 9
Additional resources
Barbara King | mezzo-soprano, Olga What first interested you in opera? I grew up listening to opera and fell in love with it at a very young age. My father was a tenor who studied with the Metropolitan Opera from 1945 to 1948. Unfortunately he lost most of his hearing due to an ear infection, so could not pursue singing as a career. My mother was a concert pianist and played for my father for years in concerts in Montreal. I sang as a child, but then chose to pursue gymnastics and other sports, and became the Quebec Provincial Gymnastics Champion in 1990. I started singing opera when I was 24 after I was in a terrible car accident. I started studying with music teachers and coaches in Calgary then went to Italy, Germany, Toronto and Montreal.
• A conversation with Stephan Bonfield, musicologist, about the musical intricacies of The Merry Widow and its place in operatic history can be found on iTunes (search Edmonton Opera in podcasts) or in the audio/music section of the Edmonton Opera app, starting the week of Sept. 21, 2015. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/edmonton-opera/id966998136?mt=2 • Discussions from our Opera 101 panel will be availabe on our YouTube channel the week of Oct. 19, 2015. (Opera 101 is a complimentary event held before each opera, at CKUA in the Alberta Hotel. The multi-disciplinary panel for The Merry Widow will be held on Oct. 7, 2015, at 7 p.m.) https://www.youtube.com/user/operaedmonton • We chatted with director Brent Krysa about The Merry Widow on our blog. http://www.edmontonopera.com/blog/index.php?/archives/81-MerryWidow-starts-201516-season-on-whimsical-note.html • This piece explains how The Merry Widow inspired fashion in the form of a hat. http://prettycleverfilms.com/costume-design-film-fashion/merry-widowhat-1907-1914/#.VfcngJ1VhBe
Is there anything we should know about you that is particularly interesting? My husband and I started Calgary Concert Opera Company in 2011 and have produced and performed eight full operas in concert format around Calgary, Okotoks and Airdrie. We have collaborated with Toronto’s Opera By Request and the Foothills Philharmonic Chorus. What is the biggest challenge with being an opera singer? I would say singers who don’t have a strong, positive support system. Opera is like training for an Olympic sport. It takes great singing teachers and coaches, money for travelling and scores, hours of rehearsing, emotional investment and hearing “no” after an audition.
• Opera Australia explains in a video how the waltz in The Merry Widow was considered shocking at the time. https://opera.org.au/discover/features/Stuart_Hopps_Merry_Widow_Waltz Read 20 questions with Michael Nyby (singing Danilo), from Vancouver Opera. http://vancouveropera.blogspot.ca/2009/01/twenty-questions-with-michaelnyby.html Seattle Opera features a blog post with Alexander Hajek, singing Baron Mirko Zeta. http://www.seattleoperablog.com/2013/10/meet-our-singers-alexander-hajeksulpice.html Global News has an interview (and performance) with Adam Fisher, singing Camille de Rosillon in our Merry Widow production. http://globalnews.ca/video/910437/opera-singer-adam-fisher 10