''Walzer aus Wien'' ("Waltzes from Vienna," titled ''The Great Waltz'' in English) is a

singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...

pasticcio In music, a ''pasticcio'' or ''pastiche'' is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, o ...

in three acts, libretto by

Alfred Maria Willner Alfred Maria Willner (11 July 1859 – 27 October 1929) was an Austrian writer, philosopher, musicologist, composer and librettist. Biography Alfred Maria Willner was born and died in Vienna. He began composing mostly music for the piano and eve ...

, and

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 ...

, music by

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ov ...

(son), arranged by

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897November 29, 1957) was an Austrian-born American composer and conductor. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was a noted pianist and compo ...

and

Julius Bittner Julius Bittner (born Vienna, 9 April 1874; died Vienna, 9 January 1939) was an Austrian composer. Life The son of a judge, Bittner also initially pursued a career in law. Until 1920 he was a judge in Wolkersdorf im Weinviertel, in Lower Austria. ...

, first performed at the Stadttheater in

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

on 30 October 1930.

French and English versions

The libretto was translated into French by

André Mouëzy-Éon André Mouëzy-Éon (9 June 1880 – 23 October 1967) was a French dramatist, author of comedies, librettist, screenwriter and Dialogue, dialoguist. Biography André Mouëzy-Éon begins his career by writing short plays for the Théâtre de Cl ...

and Jean Marietti, and first performed, under the title ''Valses de Vienne'' at the

Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin The Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin is a venerable theatre and opera house at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. History It was first built very rapidly in 1781 under the direction of (1726–1810) to house t ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on 21 December 1933. An English

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

adaptation called ''Walzes from Vienna'' (with additional music arranged by Herbert Griffiths), played in London in 1931. As '' The Great Waltz'' it also played on Broadway in 1934, and there was another English version produced in London in 1970.Derek B Scott. ''German Operetta on Broadway and in the West End, 1900-1940'' (2019), p. 58

Roles

Synopsis

The action takes place in Vienna around 1845, and relates the rivalry between the Strausses, father and son, and the love of the young Rési for Strauss Jr., but with the help of a Russian Countess, father and son are reconciled and love triumphs.

Discography

* ''Valses de Vienne'' - Thérèse Schmidt, Aimé Doniat,

Lina Dachary Lina Dachary was a French soprano born in 1922 and died in 1999. She was particularly noted for her prolific radio appearances in operetta.

, Rosine Brédy, Jean-Louis Simon - Chorus and Orchestra,

Jean-Claude Hartemann Jean-Claude Hartemann (18 December 1929 – 27 November 1993) was a 20th-century French conductor. Biography Born in Vezet (Haute-Saône), a student of Jean Fournet at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, Hartemann took part to the 1956 Besa ...

- Véga (1962) * ''Valses de Vienne'' -

Mady Mesplé Mady Mesplé (7 March 1931 – 30 May 2020) was a French opera singer, considered the leading coloratura soprano of her generation in France, and sometimes heralded as the successor to Mado Robin, with ''Lakmé'' by Delibes becoming her signatur ...

Bernard Sinclair Bernard Sinclair (1937 – 27 November 2015) was a French singer (baritone) particularly associated with the repertoire of the opéra comique and operetta, but also opera. He is also an actor, playwright and director. He died in the 10th arrondiss ...

, Christiane Stutzmann,

Pierre Bertin Pierre Victor Théophile Bertin (24 October 1891 – 13 May 1984) was a French stage and film actor. In 1948, he starred in the film '' The Lame Devil'' under Sacha Guitry. He was the librettist of the opéra-comique ''La Gageure imprévue ...

- Choeurs René Duclos, Orchestre de l'Opéra-Comique,

Jean Doussard Jean Doussard (born 1 July 1928 - 17 December 2015 Vannes - France) is a French conductor. He was born in Saint-Melaine-sur-Aubance. Doussard began his studies at the Music Conservatory of Angers, and later at the Paris Conservatory, where he was ...

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

(1971)

Film

*''

Waltzes from Vienna ''Waltzes from Vienna'' is a 1934 British biographical film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, sometimes known as ''Strauss' Great Waltz''. It was part of the cycle of operetta films made in Britain during the 1930s. Hitchcock's film is based on the ...

'', directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

(UK, 1934)

References

Sources

* *Gänzl, Kurt (1992), 'Walzer aus Wien' in ''The

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London) * ''L'opéra'', Pierre Brunel & Stéphane Wolff, (Bordas,1980) {{ISBN, 2-04-016367-0 Singspiele Operas German-language operas