''Baroness Lili'' (''Lili bárónő'') is an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

Jenő Huszka Jenő Huszka (a.k.a. german: Eugen Huszka; 24 April 1875, Szeged – 2 February 1960, Budapest) was a Hungarian composer of operettas. Life At the age of 5, he had his first performance – nicely played violin. He studied composition at ...

in three acts. It premiered in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

on 7 March 1919 in the

Erkel Theatre The Erkel Theatre is a theatre in Budapest, Hungary. Being the largest public building in the city for decades (and the largest theatre in the city), it was made part of the Hungarian State Opera House in 1951. History With the idea of brin ...

.Gänzl, Kurt (2001). ''The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre''. Schirmer, p. 1205. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") 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 the t ...

was by Ferenc Martos. It was popular in Hungary, especially in the 1980s.

Synopsis

Act I

Baron Malomszegi bought an old castle from Count Illésházy. Upon arrival, he and his daughter Lili meet the count for the first time and believe him to be a

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

. The latter does not reveal who he really is because of the opportunity of being close to the pretty young girl as a member of the castle's staff.

Act II

Illésházy falls in love with Lili and enters into a closer relationship with her than a member of the staff normally would. However, neither Frédi, Lili's fiancé, nor Clarisse, Illésházy's old love, like this situation. Clarisse takes revenge on Illésházy and tells Lili that he is not a chamberlain, but the former owner of the castle. Thus, Illésházy has to leave the castle and Lili decides to marry Frédi.

Act III

Some months later, there is a horse race. The favourite is Tündér, Lili's horse. However, her rider, Baron Sanci, arrives late. Illésházy steps in to ride in his place and wins the race. He meets Lili again and convinces her that he loves her.

Arias

The best known arias are * ''Cigaretta-keringő'' (Cigarette

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 wa ...

) * ''Egy férfi képe'' (The face of a man), a

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

References

Hungarian-language operettas 1919 operas Operas set in Hungary Operas by Jenő Huszka {{opera-stub