Operetta "The Merry Widow": content, video, interesting facts, history

F. Legar operetta "Merry widow"

"Merry widow" is a new direction in operetta, a work written in the genre of tragicomedy. Lehar wrote it, trying to put a serious meaning into the easy genre, to make the viewer think, worry. Despite a large number of funny, ironic episodes, later they began to say that Legar brought in the operetta tears. After this work, the 35-year-old composer gained worldwide fame, received many awards and orders. Operetta was translated into 10 languages. There are also numerous film versions and ballet. In the center of the plot, of course, a love story. After it, the viewer begins to firmly believe in the existence of sublime feelings, over which neither time nor money has power.

Summary operetta Lehar "Cheerful widow"and many interesting facts about this work read on our page.

Summary

A small principality suffers from debt and lack of money. His ambassador in Paris finds out that one of the richest names in the principality has lost the head of the family. The young widow became the sole heir to a huge fortune. If she marries a foreigner, her millions will forever float abroad.

The ambassador decides to introduce her to Count Danilo, who works as secretary at the embassy, ​​but it turned out that the young people had known each other for a long time. Sometime between them arose a passionate romance. Danilo's family opposed their relationship, because Gann was the daughter of a simple miller. The young man was sent to Paris, and the girl married an elderly millionaire.

After the meeting in Paris, seemingly forgotten feelings flooded back on the young people. Pride, resentment, the current difference in social status create a lot of incredible intrigue. Lovers are in an extraordinary position, their feelings have to be tested not only by time.

Danilo confesses his love to Hannah only after she learns about the conditions of the testament: if a young widow gets married, she will lose all her millions. Earl did not offer her hand and heart, so as not to be considered another dowry hunter. Danilo will be adequately rewarded for his true love and selflessness: under the same will, all the money will be transferred to the new elect of the “merry widow”.

A photo:

Interesting Facts

• Lehar was offered 5,000 kronor for refusing to work on the operetta, since the theater directors didn’t like the music of the young author.
• The actors of the An der Vin Theater stood up for the composer and decided to rehearse a new operetta at night after the performance.
• Mizzi Günther and Louis Troyman, who were to play the main roles, were delighted with the operetta, they strongly urged the leadership of the theater that Franz Lehar should continue the work.
• Operetta "Merry widow" is considered the best work Lehar. Her productions were the most numerous. For example, only in Krasnodar in 1955 the performance was shown 48 times, in 1979 - 318 times.

• Rakhmaninov Loved the operetta. After listening to her for the first time, he said: "Though it is written now, but also brilliant, the thing is magnificent!".
• Tinkering with the Attaché from the Embassy, ​​the librettists made some changes: the German principality became Montenegro, all names were converted to Slavic.
• At the time of writing, Montenegro had a huge national debt to Austria, which is mentioned in the play in an ironic style.
• In Russia, the operetta was not accepted immediately. The Russian public, like critics, treated the premiere pretty cool. The performance was shown in Petersburg in 1906. Only at 52 in a row, the representation (in almost 2 months) the operetta was declared the "landmark of St. Petersburg."
• In 1910, the Merry Widow circled the globe.

Popular arias and numbers:

Ganna's song about Vila "Nun lasst uns aber wie daheim" (listen)

Duet of Hanna and Danilo "Dummer, dummer Reitersmann" (listen)

Waltz "Bei jedem Walzerschritt" (listen)

History of creation

In 1961, the playwright Henri Meliac presented the world the comedy "Attache of the Embassy" which debuted at the Vaudevil theater in Paris. Constantly being in search of new ideas, the leadership of the Viennese theater An der Wien, decided to put an operetta on this incendiary, unusual story. The libretto was written by Victor Leon and the playwright Leo Stein, the writing of the music was entrusted to Richard Heuberger.

Only a year later, the honored teacher, conductor and composer Heuberger brought the 1st act. After listening to everyone, it immediately became clear that there would be no sensational, new operetta in his authorship. The contract was broken and the creation of music was entrusted to Lehar. The work was completed in the summer of 1905. The directors did not like the directors of the theater at all, only thanks to Victor Leon, who was able to convince the management, and to the actors of the theater, Lehar’s music remained in this work and pleases us with its originality, bright colors, the beauty of the combination of sounds so far.

The name of the operetta came about by chance. Many contemporaries were tormented by the question "Why is it fun, because Ganna had very different character traits?" In those days, the widows of a number of government officials used the privilege in the form of free tickets to performances. With someone's light hands, these ladies began to be called burdensome, burdensome widows. Hearing this nickname, Legar said: "And we will have a merry widow!". In German, these two words differ only in one letter.