''Der Opernball'' (''The Opera Ball'') is an operetta in three acts with music by

Richard Heuberger Richard Franz Joseph Heuberger (18 June 1850 in Graz, Austria – 28 October 1914 in Vienna, Austria) was an Austrian composer of operas and operettas, a music critic, and teacher. Heuberger was born in Graz, the son of a bandage manufacturer. ...

, and libretto by Viktor Léon and Heinrich von Waldberg, based on the 1876 comedy ' by Alfred Delacour and

Alfred Hennequin Alfred Néoclès Hennequin (13 January 1842 – 7 August 1887) was a Belgian playwright, best known for his farces. Born in Liège, Hennequin was trained there as an engineer, and was employed by the national railway company. In his spare time he w ...

Alexander von Zemlinsky Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky (14 October 1871 – 15 March 1942) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher. Biography Early life Zemlinsky was born in Vienna to a highly diverse family. Zemlinsky's grandfather, Anton S ...

assisted Heuberger with the orchestration. Its premiere was at the

Theater an der Wien The 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 pri ...

, Vienna, Austria, on 5 January 1898. The most famous number from the operetta is the

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

duet "". The operetta remains in the repertoire of German-language opera companies,Laqueur, Walter, "Fin-de-siècle: Once More with Feeling" (January 1996). ''Journal of Contemporary History'', 31 (1): pp. 5–47. such as the

Vienna Volksoper The Vienna Volksoper (''Volksoper'' or ''Vienna People's Opera'') is an opera house in Vienna, Austria. It produces three hundred performances of twenty-five German language productions of opera, operetta, musicals, and ballet, during an annual s ...

Roles

* Theophil Beaubuisson, ''retiree'' (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

) * Palmyra Beaubuisson, ''his wife'' ( alto) * Henri, ''naval cadet, their nephew'' (

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

or mezzo-soprano) * Paul Aubier (tenor) * Angèle, ''wife of Paul and niece to Madame Beaubuisson'' ( soprano) * Georges Duménil (tenor, buffo role) * Marguérite Duménil, ''wife of Georges'' (soprano) * Hortense, ''chambermaid of the Duménils'' (

soubrette A soubrette is a type of operatic soprano voice ''fach'', often cast as a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy". Theatre In theatre, a soubrette is a ...

) * Féodora, ''a chansonette'' (soprano) * Philippe, ''waiter in the opera entrance hall'' (tenor) * Jean, Baptiste, Alfonse, ''waiters'' * Germain, a servant

Synopsis

The setting is Paris during Carnival, towards the end of the 19th century. ''Act I'' Paul Aubier and his wife Angèle are guests of Georges and Marguérite Duménil. Marguérite is sceptical of the fidelity of men in marriage, and she persuades Angèle to put their husbands to the test. On their instructions, the chambermaid Hortense writes two identical letters which invite Paul and Georges to Stelldichein to an opera ball at the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

, where they will meet a lady with a pink domino as part of her dress. Secretly, Hortense writes a third such letter for Henri, because she wants to appear also with the pink domino. ''Act II'' The setting is the opera ball, where everyone is masked. Beaubuisson and the singer Féodara are one couple. Of the three ladies with the pink domino, Henri sees the pink domino on Hortense, Georges sees it on Angèle, and Paul on Marguérite. Georges and Paul hope to meet the mysterious lady each in a ''chambre séparée''. However, Angèle and Marguérite have arranged for a bell signal, at whose sound the lovers are to meet outside the rooms. In the confusion, Paul and Georges meet each other, and not the expected lady. Furthermore, they each then see Hortense with the pink domino, not knowing who she is. Each tries to engage the lady, but in the process, Hortense's pink domino is destroyed. Marguérite and Angèle are both unaware of the presence of Hortense. ''Act III'' Back at his residence, Georges discovers the writing paper on which that the invitation to the opera ball was written, and tries to figure out the situation. Things build to the point where Georges challenges Paul to a duel. Finally, Marguérite and Angèle show their intact pink dominoes, which nominally proves the fidelity of their husbands. The role of Hortense in the plot is revealed to all.

Film versions

Three films have been made of ''Der Opernball''. *'' Opera Ball'' (dir.

Géza von Bolváry Géza von Bolváry (born Géza Gyula Mária Bolváry Zahn, german: Géza Maria von Bolváry-Zahn; 26 December 1897 – 10 August 1961) was a Hungarian actor, screenwriter, and film director, who worked principally in Germany and Austria. Biog ...

, 1939), with

Paul Hörbiger Paul Hörbiger (29 April 1894 – 5 March 1981) was an Austrian theatre and film actor. Life and work Paul Hörbiger was born in the Hungarian capital Budapest, then part of Austria-Hungary, the son of engineer Hanns Hörbiger, founder of t ...

, Marte Harell, Hans Moser, Heli Finkenzeller,

Theo Lingen Theo Lingen (; 10 June 1903 – 10 November 1978), born Franz Theodor Schmitz, was a German actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1929 and 1978, and directed 21 films between 1936 and 1960. Life and c ...

Fita Benkhoff Fita Benkhoff (1 November 1901 – 26 October 1967) was a German actress. Life Benkhoff was born in 1901. In the 1920s the actress Louise Dumont separated from her husband. Dumont was attached to a number of young actresses including Benkh ...

, Will Dohm *'' Opera Ball'' (dir.

Ernst Marischka Ernst Marischka (2 January 1893 – 12 May 1963) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 90 films between 1913 and 1962. He also directed 29 films between 1915 and 1962. He wrote and directed the Sissi trilogy ...

, 1956), with

Johannes Heesters Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters (5 December 1903 – 24 December 2011), known professionally as Johannes Heesters, was a Dutch actor of stage, television and film, as well as a vocalist of numerous recordings and performer on the concert stag ...

Hertha Feiler Hertha Feiler (3 August 1916, Vienna – 1 November 1970, Munich) was an Austrian actress. She was married to the comedian Heinz Rühmann with whom she starred in several films. She was of Jewish descent. Filmography * '' Darling of the Sailor ...

, Josef Meinrad, Sonja Ziemann,

Adrian Hoven Adrian Hoven (18 May 1922 – 28 April 1981) was an Austrian actor, producer and film director. He appeared in 100 films between 1947 and 1981. He was born in Wöllersdorf, Austria as ''Wilhelm Arpad Hofkirchner'' and died in Tegernsee, Ger ...

, Theo Lingen (reprising the role of Germain, the servant) *''Der Opernball'' (dir.

Eugen York Eugen York (26 November 1912 – 18 November 1991) was a German film director. He directed 35 films between 1938 and 1984. He was born in Rybinsk, Russian Empire and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography Film * '' Morituri'' (194 ...

, 1971, for ZDF), with Harald Serafin, Helen Mané, Maurice Besançon, Maria Tiboldi,

Uwe Friedrichsen Uwe Friedrichsen (27 May 1934, in Altona – 30 April 2016, in Hamburg) was a German television actor. Filmography External links *Scherf Agency Berlin 1934 births 2016 deaths German male television actors 20th-century German male ...

, Christiane Schröder

Recordings

References

External links