' (''The Beautiful Galatea'') is an operetta in one act by

Franz von Suppé Franz von Suppé (né Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo de Suppe) (18 April 181921 May 1895) was an Austrian composer of light operas and other theatre music. He came from the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of Croatia). A co ...

to a German libretto by the composer and 'Poly Henrion' (the pseudonym of Leonhard Kohl von Kohlenegg).* In the early 1860s, French operettas by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...

were first presented in Vienna.

was obliged to compete with them by taking the time-honored traditions of Vienna and combining it with the new style of Offenbach. ''Die schöne Galathée'' was Franz von Suppé's first critical success.

Performance history

The first performance was at the in Berlin on 30 June 1865, with Anna Grobecker of the Vienna

Carltheater The Carltheater was a theatre in Vienna. It was in the suburbs in Leopoldstadt at Praterstraße 31 (at that time called Jägerzeile). It was the successor to the Leopoldstädter Theater. After a series of financial difficulties, that theater had ...

as a guest star singing the role of Ganymed. It was given in London at the Opera Comique, on 6 November 1871, and in New York at the Stadt Theater on 6 September 1867.

Roles and role creators

*Galathée (

Galatea Galatea is an ancient Greek name meaning "she who is milk-white". Galatea, Galathea or Gallathea may refer to: In mythology * Galatea (Greek myth), three different mythological figures In the arts * ''Aci, Galatea e Polifemo'', cantata by H ...

) ( soprano) Ämilie Kraft *Ganymed ( Ganymede) ( mezzo-soprano) Anna Grobecker *Mydas (

Midas Midas (; grc-gre, Μίδας) was the name of a king in Phrygia with whom several myths became associated, as well as two later members of the Phrygian royal house. The most famous King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ...

) ( baritone) Karl Treumann * Pygmalion (tenor) Telek

Synopsis

Kathinka Hoppé, Marie Le Seur - Tooneel-herinneringen (1900)

The sculptor Pygmalion has fallen madly in love with his statue of Galathée and accordingly does not want to sell it to Mydas, a patron of the arts. Instead he prays to

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

, the goddess of the love, that the statue be brought to life. The wish is granted but Galathée turns out to be a very independent-minded creature. She is unfaithful to Pygmalion with his servant Ganymed (because he is much more pleasing to her than Pygmalion) and does not reject Mydas, who offers her jewelry. When Pygmalion catches Galathée in a compromising situation, he successfully implores Venus to turn her back into stone. The jewelry offered by Mydas is also turned into stone, but the whole statue is sold to him.

References

External links

*
Musical Theatre Guide page, accessed 7 June 2010

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schone Galathee German-language operettas Operas by Franz von Suppé 1865 operas Operas Operas set in Cyprus Operas based on Metamorphoses Works based on Pygmalion from Ovid's Metamorphoses