Kálmán_Imre_cropped_(Willinger_Vilmos,_1924)

' (''The

Csárdás Csárdás (, ; ), often seen as Czárdás, is a traditional Hungarian folk dance, the name derived from ' (old Hungarian term for roadside tavern and restaurant). It originated in Hungary and was popularized by bands in Hungary and neighboring l ...

Princess''; translated into English as ''The Riviera Girl'' and ''The Gipsy Princess'') 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 ...

in 3 acts by Hungarian composer

Emmerich Kálmán Emmerich Kálmán ( hu, Kálmán Imre; 24 October 1882 – 30 October 1953) was a Hungarian composer of operettas and a prominent figure in the development of Viennese operetta in the 20th century. Among his most popular works are '' Die Csár ...

, with

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 ...

Leo Stein Leo Stein (May 11, 1872 – July 29, 1947) was an American art collector and critic. He was born in Allegheny City (now in Pittsburgh), the older brother of Gertrude Stein. He became an influential promoter of 20th-century paintings. Education ...

and

Bela Jenbach Bela Jenbach, real name Béla Jacobowicz (1 April 1871 in Miskolc, Kingdom of Hungary – 21 January 1943 in Vienna) was an Austrian actor and operetta librettist of Hungarian origin. Jenbach was of Jewish origin and the brother of the screenwri ...

. It premiered in Vienna at the on 17 November 1915. Numerous film versions and recordings have been made. The operetta is widely beloved across Europe, particularly in Hungary, Austria, Germany, and the former Soviet Union, where it was adapted into a popular film. It is arguably Kálmán's most successful work.

Roles

Synopsis

:Place:

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 ...

and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

:Time: shortly before the outbreak of the First World War

Act 1

Sylva Varescu, a self-sufficient and professionally successful cabaret performer from Budapest, is about to embark on a tour of America. Three of her aristocratic admirers, named Edwin, Feri, and Boni, prefer her to stay. Edwin, unaware that his parents have already arranged a marriage for him back home in Vienna, orders a notary to prepare a promissory note of his expected marriage to Sylva within ten weeks. Sylva then leaves on her American tour, and Edwin leaves for peacetime military duty.

Act 2

Just at the time this promissory note is about to expire, Sylva visits Edwin's palace in Vienna, pretending to have married Boni as her entrée into his family's society. Edwin is about to be engaged to Stasi, who does not care for him and wishes only an arranged marriage. Boni falls in love with Stasi and Edwin regrets not keeping his promise to Sylva sooner. However, Edwin makes the faux pas of informing Sylva that his parents would accept Sylva only if she pretends to have been divorced from Boni and therefore already entered society via an earlier marriage. Edwin's father separately informs Sylva that if she marries Edwin without first having achieved noble rank through some other route, her role in society could be merely that of a "csárdás princess." Sylva realizes that she is better than they and has a brighter future than they have. She purposefully embarrasses Edwin and his father, turning her back on them and leaving in the presence of their assembled friends.

Act 3

The act is set in a Viennese hotel to which Feri has accompanied the cabaret troupe from Budapest, who is about to sail on another American tour with Sylva. As everyone shows up and recognizes each other, Feri recognizes Edwin's mother as a retired cabaret singer from Budapest whose star once shone prior to Sylva's time. Edwin's mother joins the two couples, Sylva/Edwin and Boni/Stasi, all unwittingly heading to safety on this American tour.

Recordings

''Key: Conductor / Stasi / Sylva / Boni / Edwin / Feri'' *

Samuil Samosud Samuil Abramovich Samosud (russian: Самуи́л Абра́мович Самосу́д) (Tbilisi, Georgia, — Moscow, 6 November 1964), PAU, was a Soviet and Russian conductor. He started his musical career as a cellist, before becomin ...

/ Kazanskaya / Yakovenko / Ruban / Nelepp / Yakushev – 1956 – Melodiya * Grund / Koller / Moffo / Németh / Kollo / Mensáros – 1971 – Szinetár movie – Deutsche Grammphon DVD * Gunhard Mattes / Olivera Miljaković /

Anneliese Rothenberger Anneliese Rothenberger (19 June 191924 May 2010) was a German operatic soprano who had an active international performance career which spanned from 1942 to 1983. She specialized in the lyric coloratura soprano repertoire, and was particularly adm ...

Willi Brokmeier Willi Brokmeier (born 8 April 1928) is a German operatic lyric tenor. He focused on operetta roles, with an expressive voice and great acting talent, also appearing in several operetta films. He participated in world premieres and revivals, and ...

Nicolai Gedda Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, known professionally 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 h ...

/ Wolfgang Anheisser – 1971 – EMI * Bibl / Kales / Rudiferia / Poppell / Franz Wächter / Németh – 1985 – live in Tokyo – Denon * Bonynge / Hislop / Riedel / Lemke / Austin / Ewer – 1990 – Sydney – Opus Arte DVD * Bibl / Grotrian / Schoenenberg / Werba / Bothmer / Harsányi – 2002 – Mörbisch – Videoland DVD * Bibl / Grotrian / Serafin / Eröd / Bothmer / Harsányi – 2002 – Oehms * Bonynge /

Mojca Erdmann Mojca Erdmann (born 29 December 1975) is a German soprano who is particularly associated with the Mozart operas. She created the role of Ariadne in Rihm's ''Dionysos'' at the Salzburg Festival. Career Born in Hamburg, Erdmann sang in the chi ...

Yvonne Kenny Yvonne Kenny AM (born 25 November 1950) is an Australian soprano, particularly associated with Handel, Mozart and bel canto roles. Biography Born in Sydney, she first studied at the University of Sydney in science, hoping to become a biochemi ...

/ Kathol / Roider / Ebner – 2002 –

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...

Kalman: Csárdásfürstin (Die) (''The Gypsy Princess'')
details, including German and English libretto,

Film adaptations

It was made into a 1927 silent German film '' The Csardas Princess'' directed by

Hanns Schwarz Hanns Schwarz (11 February 1888 – 27 October 1945) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian film director. He was born in Vienna on 11 February 1888. Biography He directed twenty four films between 1924 and 1937 in both English-language, English and ...

. In 1944 it was made into the Soviet

operetta film Operetta films (German: Operettenfilm) are a genre of musical films associated with, but not exclusive to, German language cinema. The genre began in the late 1920s, but its roots stretch back into the tradition of nineteenth century Viennese ope ...

'' Sylva'' directed by

Aleksandr Ivanovsky Aleksandr Viktorovich Ivanovsky (; November 29, 1881 – January 12, 1968) was a screenwriter and film director in Soviet Union. He was awarded the USSR State Prize, Stalin Prize in 1941, for his work on the 1940 film ''Musical Story''. His 1944 o ...

. It was one of the most successful releases in the Soviet Union that year. Later, in 1981, it was made again into an even more successful Soviet operetta film under the , directed by

Yan Frid Yan Borisovich Frid (russian: Ян Борисович Фрид; 1908–2003) was a Soviet screenwriter and film director. Life and career Yan Borisovich Frid was born on May 31 in 1908 in Krasnoyarsk. In 1932 he graduated from the directing dep ...

. *', directed by Emil Leyde (Germany, 1919) *'' The Csardas Princess'', directed by

(Germany/Hungary, 1927) *'' The Csardas Princess'', directed by

Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed ...

(German, 1934) **''Princesse Czardas'', directed by

Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed ...

and (French, 1934) *'' Sylva'', directed by

(Soviet Union, 1944) *'' The Csardas Princess'', directed by

Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed ...

(West Germany, 1951) *', directed by

Miklós Szinetár Miklós Szinetár (born 8 February 1932) is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 20 films between 1962 and 1991. His 1979 film ''The Fortress (1979 film), The Fortress'' was entered into the 11th Moscow Internationa ...

(West Germany/Hungary, 1971, TV film) *', directed by

(Soviet Union, 1981)

References

External links

*
Recordings
at operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
Libretto for ''La principessa della czarda''
in Italian on archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Csardasfurstin, Die Operas by Emmerich Kálmán German-language operettas 1915 operas Operas Operas set in Hungary Operas set in Vienna Operas adapted into films