''Ritter Pázmán'' (''Knight Pazman'') is a three-act

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

composed 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 (), was an List of Austrian composers, Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well ...

, with the

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 Ludwig Dóczi. It premiered at the prestigious Hofoper in Vienna on New Year's Day, 1892. It is based on a Hungarian narrative poem, ''Pázmán lovag'', by the Hungarian poet

János Arany János Arany (; archaic English: John Arany; 2 March 1817 – 22 October 1882) was a Hungarian poet, writer, translator and journalist. He is often said to be the "Shakespeare of ballads" – he wrote more than 102 ballads that have been transl ...

. A performance takes about three hours.

Roles

Synopsis

:Place: Hungary :Time: Beginning of the 14th century

Acts 1 and 2

''Pázmán's castle'' The

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

's wife and servants are hurrying to prepare a meal to welcome Pázmán and his band on their way back from the hunt. One of the hunters falls in love with the knight's wife, and kisses her on the forehead when the husband is not looking. Later, after the hunter leaves, Pázmán finds out about the kiss, and, having cursed his wife, goes to the king to demand justice.

Act 3

''The King's castle'' The knight was followed by his wife and maid. He insists that he be allowed to kiss the hunter's wife as revenge. The king then says that he was the one who kissed Pázmán's wife. Pázmán is then allowed to take a kiss from the queen.

Public reception

When the opera's debut was announced, it was met with great enthusiasm, as was the case with most of Strauss' works, and it attracted special attention because it was Strauss' first (and only) opera. Kevin Clarke writes, "Because the Viennese were curious about 'their' Strauss being performed in the 'holy' auditorium at the Ring, the first night was a mega-event with ticket prices skyrocketing." However, at its premiere, it was received coldly, and most critics predicted that it would not last long at the opera house. The Vienna Opera played it only nine times. Critics complained about the banality of the opera's text, and a reviewer for the ' commented that the characters were not distinguished enough musically. Others said that the opera died of "acute text failure". Some critics, however, such as Richard Heuberger, noted that the instrumentation of the opera was commendable, especially Strauss' use of the

dulcimer The term dulcimer refers to two families of musical string instruments. Hammered dulcimers The word ''dulcimer'' originally referred to a trapezoidal zither similar to a psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers". Variants of ...

in 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 as well as neighb ...

References

External links

* * * * , Global Festival Symphony Orchestra conducted by Enrico Sartori, China New Year's Concert Tour 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter Pazman Operas 1892 operas Operas by Johann Strauss II German-language operas Operas set in Hungary Operas set in the 14th century Operas based on literature