''Giuditta'' is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic ' (German for ''musical comedy'') in five scenes, with music by

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life and career L ...

and a German

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

, by and

Fritz Löhner-Beda Fritz Löhner-Beda (24 June 1883 – 4 December 1942), born Bedřich Löwy, was an Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer. Once nearly forgotten, many of his songs and tunes remain popular today. He was murdered in Auschwitz III Monowitz conce ...

. Scored for a large orchestra, it was Lehár's last and most ambitious work, written on a larger scale than his previous operettas. Of all his works it is the one which most approaches true opera, the resemblances between the story and that of Bizet's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' and its unhappy ending heightening the resonances. Perhaps the best known song in the work is the soprano aria "", sung by Giuditta in the fourth scene. Another strong influence, especially for the North African setting, was the 1930 movie ''

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

'', starring

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

in very similar central roles, she being a singer-dancer, he being a soldier.

Production history

The work received its first performance at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

on 20 January 1934, with

Jarmila Novotná Jarmila Novotná (September 23, 1907 in Prague – February 9, 1994 in New York City) was a Czech lyric coloratura soprano and actress. From 1940 to 1956, she was a star of the Metropolitan Opera. Early career A student of Emmy Destinn, Novot ...

and

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891, Linz – 8 January 1948, London) was an Austrian lyric tenor and film actor. He performed the tenor role in numerous operas, including ''Don Giovanni'' by Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte. Early life Richard Tauber was b ...

in the leading roles. The premiere attracted more attention than any of his previous works. It was broadcast live on 120 radio stations across Europe and the United States and ran for 42 performances in its debut season. Despite this initial interest, ''Giuditta'' soon faded from the repertoire. The original production, directed by

Hubert Marischka Hubert Marischka (27 August 1882 – 4 December 1959), brother of Ernst Marischka, was an Austrian operetta tenor, actor, film director and screenwriter. Career Marischka was born in Brunn am Gebirge, the son of Jiří (or Johann) Marisch ...

, played 42 times during the season in which it was introduced into the general Vienna opera repertoire. In 1938, after only a few more performances had been played, came the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

'' and Tauber left town, as did Novotná. Librettist Fritz Löhner-Beda was taken away to a concentration camp and was murdered in

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

. ''Giuditta'' received little attention overseas. It was produced in Budapest shortly after its introduction in Vienna, and the

Théâtre de la Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

, Brussels, staged a production (translated by

André Mauprey André Mauprey (19 August 1881 – 3 February 1939) was a French writer, composer, librettist, and actor. He helped to popularize ''The Three Penny Opera,'' and was the first to translate many of its songs into French. Working with Robert de M ...

) the following season with Kate Walter-Lippert and José Janson in the leading roles. Janson also featured in the first French performance, at Toulouse in 1936, opposite Mme Chauny-Lasson, but ''Giuditta'', in spite of a handful of provincial productions, did not play in Paris, nor London, nor New York. However, the work got a late English-language and American première at the

Ohio Light Opera The Ohio Light Opera is a professional opera company based in Wooster, Ohio that performs the light opera repertory, including Gilbert and Sullivan, American, British and continental operettas, and other musical theatre works, especially of the late ...

in 1994. It was subsequently also recorded in English by conductor

Richard Bonynge Richard Alan Bonynge ( ) (born 29 September 1930) is an Australian conductor and pianist. He is the widower of Australian dramatic coloratura soprano Dame Joan Sutherland. Bonynge conducted virtually all of Sutherland's operatic performances ...

, featuring tenor

Jerry Hadley Jerry Hadley (June 16, 1952 – July 18, 2007) was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy Awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of ''Jenůfa'' (2004 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording), ''Susannah'' (1995 Grammy Awar ...

. In 1970 a German television version was made with tenor

Rudolf Schock Rudolf Johann Schock (4 September 1915 – 13 November 1986) was a German tenor. Rudolf Schock was born in Duisburg, in the Prussian Rhine Province. He sang a wide repertoire from operetta to ''Lohengrin'', recording among others opera and lieder, ...

and soprano

Teresa Stratas Teresa Stratas (born May 26, 1938) is a Canadian operatic soprano and actress of Greeks, Greek descent. She is especially well known for her award-winning recording of Alban Berg's ''Lulu (opera), Lulu''. She is formally retired. Early life an ...

Roles

Synopsis

;Scene 1 :In the lively Mediterranean town, street singers fill the air with their melodies as the fruit seller Pierrino prepares to bid farewell to his livelihood. He plans to embark on a journey to North Africa with his girlfriend Anita. Meanwhile, the skilled local craftsman Manuele works diligently, devoted to his beautiful wife Giuditta. The scene takes a turn when a group of officers, led by the captivating Captain Octavio, arrive and are entranced by Giuditta's beauty and her soul-stirring song. Infatuated, Octavio implores Giuditta to accompany him on his upcoming voyage. Unable to resist the allure, Giuditta agrees to join him. ;Scene 2 :Now penniless, Anita and Pierrino seek refuge at Octavio's villa in a North African garrison town. Giuditta offers Anita employment, while Pierrino plans to return home to rebuild his trade. However, things become complicated when Giuditta confesses her love for Octavio, who is troubled by news of a possible regiment relocation. ;Scene 3 :In the moonlit military encampment, soldiers sing of their nomadic life. Octavio is tormented by the thought of parting ways with Giuditta and contemplates desertion. Giuditta, unaware of Octavio's inner turmoil, yearns for true love. ;Scene 4 :Separated from Octavio, Giuditta transforms into a nightclub dancer in a bustling North African city. There, she receives a bouquet from the wealthy Englishman Lord Barrymore, who invites her to supper. Meanwhile, Octavio, now a deserter, arrives at the club. He learns of Giuditta's new life and watches her from a distance, consumed by despair. ;Scene 5 :Four years later, Giuditta has become a renowned dancer and receives an invitation to a private supper with a Duke. To her surprise, the Duke's pianist turns out to be none other than Octavio. Upon recognizing him, Giuditta is taken aback. Octavio reveals his torment over their shattered love, but when Giuditta professes her enduring love for him, he dismisses it, claiming that love no longer holds meaning for him. As the Duke joins Giuditta, Octavio retreats to his piano, playing until the room is empty. Ultimately, he departs, a man broken by love.

Recordings

* Decca GOS 583-4:

Hilde Güden Hilde Güden (or Gueden; 15 September 1917 – 17 September 1988) was an Austrian soprano who was one of the most appreciated Richard Strauss, Straussian and Mozartian sopranos of her day. Her youthful and lively interpretations made her an idea ...

;

Waldemar Kmentt Waldemar Kmentt (Vienna, 2 February 1929 Vienna, 21 January 2015) was an Austrian operatic tenor, who was particularly associated with the German repertory, both opera and operetta. Born in Vienna, Kmentt studied at the Vienna Music Academy, fi ...

; Murray Dickie;

Emmy Loose Emmy Loose (22 January 1914 in Chabařovice – 14 October 1987 in Vienna) was an Austrian operatic soprano particularly associated with soubrette roles. After vocal studies in Prague Conservatory, she made her stage debut in Hanover as Blonchen ...

; Walter Berry; Oscar Czerwenka;

Chorus and Orchestra; Rudolf Moralt, conductor * EMI Classics ZDMB-65378:

Edda Moser Edda Moser (born 27 October 1938) is a German operatic soprano. She was particularly well known for her interpretations of music by Mozart. Her 1973 recital LP ' received the Grand Prix du Disque. Life and career Moser was born in Berlin, the ...

;

Nicolai Gedda Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, better known as Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017), was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made his final ...

; Brigitte Lindner; Martin Finke;

Günter Wewel Günter Wewel (; 29 November 19349 May 2023) was a German operatic bass and television presenter. Based at the Opernhaus Dortmund for decades, he performed 80 roles in Germany and Europe. He is known for presenting the television series , with ...

;

Willi Boskovsky Willibald Karl Boskovsky (16 June 1909 – 21 April 1991) was an Austrian violinist and conductor, best known as the long-standing conductor of the Vienna New Year's Concert from 1955 to 1979. Biography Boskovsky was born in Vienna, and joined th ...

; Munich Radio Symphony And Chorus. Digitally recorded in May 1980. *Original cast recordings of six numbers were made in Vienna by Odeon on 11 January 1934, with the composer conducting the

Vienna Philharmonic Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...

. These include four solos by Tauber, one by Novotná, and their duet "".

References

External links

*
''Giuditta''
extensive synopsis, performance details
"Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß"

Danielle de Niese Danielle de Niese (born 11 April 1979) is an Australian-American lyric soprano. After success as a young child in singing competitions in Australia, she moved to the United States where she developed her operatic career. From 2005 she came to ...

, TED July 2011 * with