Gasparone is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker to a German libretto by Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée . The libretto was later revised by Ernst Steffan [ de ] and Paul Knepler [ de ] . An amusing feature of the work is that the title character never appears and acts as a scapegoat upon which all the misdeeds in Syracuse, Sicily , can be blamed.
30-887: The opera had its premiere on 26 January 1884 at the Theater an der Wien , Vienna. It was subsequently given in Berlin at the Friedrich-Wilhelmstädtisches Theater on September 26, 1884, and in New York City in German at the Thalia Theater in 1885 and in English at the Standard Theatre in 1885 and again in 1887 with Lillian Russell as Carlotta, Eugène Oudin as Count Erminio and J. H. Ryley . After its debut, Millöcker revised
60-469: A creek-like 200 litres per second (7.1 cu ft/s) to 450,000 litres per second (16,000 cu ft/s) in the heaviest rains or during the spring snowmelt in the Vienna Woods, a ratio of over 1:2000. Within the city limits, the river bed consists almost entirely of concrete, which was installed between 1895 and 1899 in order to stop the devastating floods, sometimes accompanied by cholera , which
90-458: A total area of 2,500 square metres (27,000 sq ft). The first terrace is expected to be completed by 2015. For safety reasons, cycling or walking in the concrete bed of the Wien is officially prohibited. A continually controversial topic is whether to build cycle paths and footpaths next to the water. Proponents believe the water flow can be safely regulated, while opponents do not believe this
120-565: Is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served primarily as an opera house, hosting its own company. Although " Wien " is German for "Vienna", the " Wien " in the name of the theatre is actually the name of
150-404: Is a river that flows through the capital of Austria , Vienna . The river Wien is 34 kilometres (21 mi) long, of which 15 km (9.3 mi) are within the city. Its drainage basin covers an area of 221 km (85 sq mi), both in the city and in the neighbouring Vienna Woods . Its source lies in the western Vienna Woods near Rekawinkel and its mouth at the eastern end of
180-409: Is convinced by the innkeeper that he could worm his way out his comic pickle by walking around with a gun borrowed from one of the smugglers and fib that he shot Gasparone single-handedly. The mayor and the duenna will marry. The countess and the nobleman will marry. The innkeeper and his wife are offered the ten thousand unused/phoney ransom as their gift to pay off the mortgage on the inn and close down
210-416: Is possible. In 2005, a short segment was opened to the public, near Hütteldorf railway station. It features an audible and visual alarm system to warn users to leave the path if flooding is imminent. Extensions to this path have been proposed, but continue to receive much opposition. The path is open from March to October. In German , the river is colloquially called the " Wienfluss ". Since English uses
240-408: Is soon discovered by a visiting nobleman who makes him set up a prank by which the nobleman can win the attentions of the countess. The mayor perceives the mutual affections of the countess and the nobleman as interfering with his plans, suggesting the nobleman might be Gasparone. When the mayor's son treats the innkeepers' wife badly, and the innkeeper is put upon by the nobleman to pay another prank on
270-524: The Meidling and Naschmarkt neighbourhoods and around Karlsplatz near the city centre. The River Gate was built in the years 1903 to 1906 and was opened to the general public on 15 November 1906. The gate forms one of the most beautiful Jugendstil scenes to be found in the city of Vienna. In 2013, the City of Vienna approved plans to build three terraces along the river valley. Each terrace (or "zone") will cover
300-613: The Wien River , which once flowed by the theatre site; " an der Wien " means "on the banks of the Wien". In modern times, the river has been covered over in this location and the covered riverbed now houses the Naschmarkt , an open-air market. The theatre is operated in cooperation with Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (VBW) which also operates the Raimund Theater and the Ronacher . The theatre
330-499: The "most comfortable and satisfactory in the whole of Germany" (which meant at the time, "all German-speaking lands"). In 1807 the theatre was acquired by a group of court nobles that included Count Ferdinand Palffy von Erdöd , who bought it outright in 1813. During the period of his proprietorship, which lasted until 1826, he offered opera and ballet and, to appeal to a wider Viennese audience, popular pantomime and variety acts, losing money in elaborate spectacles until finally he
SECTION 10
#1732902888592360-402: The 250th anniversary year of Mozart's birth, the Theater an der Wien presented a series of major Mozart operas, thus initiating its conversion to a full-time venue for opera and other forms of classical music under the direction of Roland Geyer [ de ] . Major musical productions since are now presented at either the Raimund Theater or the Ronacher . The first opera to be given
390-553: The city centre of Vienna, next to the Urania , where it flows into the Donaukanal ("Danube Canal"), a branch of the Danube . The Wien is subject to huge variations in flow. In its headwaters in the Vienna Woods, the soil is underlain by sandstone . Because of this, during heavy rain the soil quickly saturates, resulting in substantial runoff. Thus, the flow of the Wien can quickly increase from
420-405: The effectiveness of Millöcker's comic-opera structures" in order to suit the taste of the 1930s. The mayor, Baboleno Nasoni, is short of cash. He wants his son, Sindulfo, to marry the wealthy countess, then spend some of her money to pay his own bills. He leans on the innkeeper, Benozzo, who owes him back mortgage payments. The innkeeper can make ends meet only by petty smuggling as Gasparone, which
450-575: The largest theatres of its age". The theatre opened on 13 June 1801 with a prologue written by Schikaneder followed by a performance of the opera Alexander by Franz Teyber . The new theatre proved to be a sensation. Adolf Bäurle, a local critic, wrote "if Schikaneder and [his partner] Zitterbarth had had the idea ... to charge admission simply for looking at the glories of their Theater an der Wien , Schikaneder would certainly have been able to take in vast sums of money without giving one single performance." The Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung called it
480-475: The lease ended in 1884 between her and the librettist Camillo Walzel . In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the theatre experienced a golden age during the flourishing of Viennese operetta , as referenced in the list below. From 1945 to 1955, it was one of the temporary homes of the Vienna State Opera , whose own building had been destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II . However, in 1955,
510-489: The librettist felt ready to move to a larger and better equipped venue. He had already been granted an imperial licence to build a new theatre in 1786, but it was only in 1798 that he felt ready to act on this authorization. The building was designed by the architect Franz Jäger in Empire style (it has since been remodeled). Construction was completed in 1801. The theatre has been described as "the most lavishly equipped and one of
540-422: The mayor, the innkeeper plots revenge as Gasparone. When the mayor's son is to marry the wealthy countess, the innkeeper kidnaps the mayor's son and his wife plays a trick to get the carriage transporting the marriage official to drive away with the marriage official still sitting in it. The nobleman proposes to the countess twice, once just as the marriage of the countess to the mayor's son is announced and once when
570-538: The musical Elisabeth (about Franz Joseph I of Austria 's wife, Elisabeth of Bavaria , also known as Sisi), premiered there and ran for six consecutive years until 1998; Elisabeth went on to become the most successful German-language musical to date, returning to the Theater an der Wien for a revival production from 2003 to 2005. The musical Cats directed and choreographed by Gillian Lynne played successfully for seven years. Despite its focus on operettas and musicals,
600-432: The nobleman with the idea that everyone might end up with the love of their life if only there was a way to convince the mayor that the countess has no way of actually getting her hands on her millions. The nobleman bursts in on the countess pretending to be a masked bandit, and fantasy role plays that she should convince the mayor that her millions were stolen by Gasparone. The search for Gasparone intensifies. The mayor's son
630-647: The petty smuggling operation. A film version was made in Germany in 1937. It was produced by Max Pfeiffer and directed by Georg Jacoby , with Marika Rökk (Ita), Johannes Heesters (Erminio), Heinz Schorlemmer (Sindulfo), Edith Schollwer (Carlotta), Oskar Sima (Massaccio), Leo Slezak (Nasoni), Rudolf Platte (Benozzo), Elsa Wagner (Zenobia), and Ursula Herking (Sora). Karl Paryla directed another film version in 1956. Television versions were made in 1962 by Hans Hollmann and in 1972 by Wolfgang Liebeneiner . Theater an der Wien The Theater an der Wien
SECTION 20
#1732902888592660-423: The piece, creating eight versions. However, the most commonly used performing edition is that prepared in 1932 by the composer Ernst Steffan. This version includes "Dunkelrote Rosen" which Millöcker wrote as a vocal trio in the operetta Der Vizeadmiral . Ernst Steffan expanded the piece and Paul Knefler wrote new lyrics. Nevertheless, as Andrew Lamb has pointed out, this revision introduced new material and "reduced
690-542: The river had regularly caused before that time. At the same time, the Stadtbahn ("city railway") was built, which makes use of the concrete river bed and is only separated from the river by a wall. It is now part of the Vienna U-Bahn system. Along the course of the river, the Naschmarkt and the Theater an der Wien can be found. Much of the river is covered over in the city, particularly in front of Schönbrunn Palace , in
720-466: The theatre still served as a venue for occasional opera productions, especially during the Vienna Festival seasons, and sometimes co-produced with the Vienna State Opera . Notable productions of the non-standard repertory include: Between 1996 and 2002, Riccardo Muti conducted new productions of the three Da Ponte operas of Mozart, based on an original production by Giorgio Strehler . In 2006,
750-497: The theatre was closed for safety reasons. It languished unused for several years, and by the early 1960s, the threat had emerged that it would be converted to a parking garage. (This was the same era of " urban renewal " that in America nearly destroyed Carnegie Hall ). By 1962 the theatre had a new and successful role as a venue for contemporary musical theatre . Many English-language musicals had their German premieres there. In 1992,
780-437: The theatre's seasons have included the following works outside the standard repertoire: The Theater an der Wien has seen the premieres of many works by celebrated composers and playwrights. It was a particularly favorite venue for Ludwig van Beethoven , who actually lived in rooms inside the theatre, at Schikaneder's invitation, during part of the period he was composing his opera Fidelio . Wien (river) The Wien
810-399: The wedding guests show up but the groom doesn't. The innkeeper bursts in on the wedding guests and pretends he needs ten thousand to rescue the kidnapped mayor's son, planning to use some of it to pay off his back mortgage and the rest to support his wife. His wife catches him in this lie and insists he change his ways. The countess' duenna and the mayor fancy each other. The duenna approaches
840-451: Was Mozart's Idomeneo with Neil Shicoff in the title role and Peter Schneider conducting the new production by Willy Decker . Other members of the cast were Angelika Kirchschlager , Genia Kühmeier , and Barbara Frittoli . Geyer is quoted as saying that he wishes to "present cutting edge directors and interesting productions", and his three main areas of focus are on Baroque opera , contemporary opera, and Mozart. In recent years,
870-583: Was forced to sell the theatre at auction in 1826. Only a part of the original building is preserved: the Papagenotor (Papageno Gate) is a memorial to Schikaneder, who is depicted playing the role of Papageno in The Magic Flute , a role he wrote for himself to perform. He is accompanied by the Three Boys, characters in the same opera. From 1889 to 1905, Alexandrine von Schönerer was managing director after
900-539: Was the brainchild of the Viennese theatrical impresario Emanuel Schikaneder , who is best known as Mozart 's librettist and collaborator on the opera The Magic Flute (1791). Schikaneder's troupe had already been successfully performing for several years in Vienna in the smaller Theater auf der Wieden and this is where The Magic Flute had premiered. As the troupe's performances often emphasized spectacle and scenery,
#591408