Arabella

Count Waldner, Captain A.D. (Bass)
Adelaide, his wife (Soprano)
Arabella (soprano )
Zdenka (soprano )
Mandryka (baritone )
Matteo, hunters officer (Tenor)
Count Elemer (Tenor)
Dominik Graf (baritone )
Count Lamoraal ( bass)
Fiakermilli ( coloratura soprano)
Teller (soprano )
Welko, Mandryka body Husar (voice)
Djoura and Jankel, Mandryka servant ( speaking roles )
A waiter (voice)
Companion of Arabella, three players, a Groom, cab, ball guests, hotel guests, waiters

Arabella is an opera in three acts by Hugo von Hofmannsthal ( libretto ) and Richard Strauss ( music, Op 79). The work is the final fruit of many years of collaboration between the two artists. The playing time is about 2 1/ 2 hours.

The premiere was held at the Dresden State Opera on July 1, 1933.

Formation

In September 1927 before completing the score of the Egyptian Helena, Strauss wrote to Hofmannsthal: But now I have nothing left to work: totally burned! So please: They seal! There may even be a second Rosenkavalier .... In December 1927, the author and the composer voted the scenario of Arabella project, and in December 1928, written by Hofmannsthal 's libretto was present. Reworking and modifications followed in the spring of the following year. On July 10, 1929, five days before his death, Hofmannsthal sent the final monologue ( My Elemer ... ) for the first elevator to Strauss.

As a reminder and tribute to his longtime friend and fellow Strauss set to music the Arabella in Hofmannsthal's last present version. In October 1932, Strauss completed the score and dedicated it to the General Director of the Dresden State Theater, Alfred Reucker ( 1868-1958 ), as well as the music director of the Semper Opera, Fritz Busch. On 1 July 1933, the premiere took place in Dresden, with Viorica Ursuleac in the title role; the conductor was Clemens Krauss after the dedicatee Fritz Busch was forced by the Nazis from office; Directed by Josef Gielen.

Musically, Strauss served in Arabella 's proven technology and a leitmotif for his circumstances excessively large orchestra. Highlights of the score are designed by Slavic folk tunes passages ( duet Arabella - Zdenka: "But the right thing", a duet Arabella - Mandryka: "And you will be my master " ), and the final scenes of the first and third act. The text of Hofmannsthal avoids because of its fine art of characterization and its intelligent humor slipping the substance triviality. Nevertheless, it is often accused of the work, only to want to repeat the success of Der Rosenkavalier, without reaching its content quality.

Action

The plot moves in a operetta-like milieu in Vienna in the 1860s. Protagonists are an impoverished noble family and their daughters of marriageable age, Arabella and Zdenka, as well as the rich Slavic nobles Mandryka and the young officer Matteo. After all sorts of amorous entanglements the drama comes to a happy end.

Prehistory

Count Waldner is as hapless as a passionate player. As the debt to him in over his head, he moved with his wife Adelaide and their two daughters, Arabella and Zdenka in a well of situated hotel where he tries to maintain the semblance of aristocratic opulence. He also tries to find a good match for his older daughter Arabella. Since there is no money to both daughters dress befitting, Zdenka is unceremoniously put in men's clothes and issued as a boy " Zdenko ".

1 lift

Adelaide can predict from a teller in the future. On the husband sees them coming hard times and money problems, however, the daughter Arabella, they prophesied a rich groom. However, the second daughter will endanger this connection. The Count Elemer, Dominik and Lamoraal have done this for longer Arabella the yard, and the mother secretly hopes that one of them will be the chosen one. Even the destitute Lieutenant Matteo 's in love with Arabella, and makes her advances. Arabella but it has always returned brusquely.

Zdenka, who knows Matteo only as Zdenko, makes him repeatedly courage Arabella love him secretly. In Arabella's name Zdenka writing love letters to Matteo, where she expresses her secret feelings for him.

Arabella but still hopes to one Right, she has recently taken on the road. It is the Croatian Count Mandryka. Count Waldner, had a picture of his daughter Arabella sent to Mandryka uncle, his former " regimental comrades ," in the hope that the old man will fall in love with the picture and immediately stop the hand of Arabella. Now Mandryka even widower, his uncle now inherited, and lost his heart to the woman in the picture. He comes to Vienna and holds the hand of Arabella. The Count agrees with great pleasure, especially Mandryka gives him a big play money. On the cab ball Mandryka and Arabella are to be introduced to each other.

Arabella is looking forward to this event. There she will meet her three suitors and decide with whom they will marry. " My Elemer ... " Secretly she hopes, however, to meet the stranger there.

Act 2

As Mandryka Arabella hits the ball, he is entranced by it all. He tells her of his late wife, living in its villages, " where a girl draws the groom as a sign of betrothal a glass of water from the well ." Arabella is very fond of Mandryka, and she recognizes him as the long -awaited right " And you will be my master ..." Then Arabella asks for another hour on the ball may be alone, to take advantage of their young girlhood goodbye.

From Fiakermilli Arabella is crowned prom queen. She dances for the last time with the three counts and tells them farewell. From Matteo, who appears on Zdenka's advice on the ball, Arabella takes no notice. Zdenka can Matteo, who wants to escape because of Arabella's rejection abroad, calm again. She gives him an envelope with a key in it. She claims that Arabella in the hotel rooms to the fit of this key will be waiting for him.

Mandryka who has overheard this conversation, feels betrayed. Shortly afterwards it is still a little note Arabella arrives with him, in which she tells him that she had already returned to the hotel, he saw confirmed his suspicions. He can not hold back his anger. Outraged by his speeches accompany Count Waldner and his wife him back to the hotel.

Act 3

The key has Matteo opened the door to Zdenka's room. In the dark, he did not recognize that not Arabella, but Zdenka has given herself to him. As Matteo shortly Arabella meets in the hotel lobby, he is astonished. Especially since they as always treated him with the same coolness. Arabella can not understand Matteo's behavior. It is rapidly becoming increasingly violent confrontations. As yet Mandryka and their parents then occur, escalate the matter. Arabella is stunned by the changes Mandryka since Fiacre ball. It preparations are being made for a duel Mandryka with Matteo already. Only when Zdenka rushes out of her room in women's clothes, the whole thing just to clarify ( " Zdenkerl, you are the better "). Mandryka is deeply ashamed. He asks Waldner in Matteo's name for the hand of his daughter Zdenka. When everyone retreated, Mandryka is convinced that he has lost Arabella's love. As she steps out of the room ( "That was very good, Mandryka that you have not yet gone away " ), and presented to him, according to the custom of his homeland, a glass of water.

Recordings

Semperoper 2005 - Wolfgang Rennert Act 1 (MP3 file, 140.20 MB) 2nd and 3rd act (MP3 file, 209.87 MB) Waldner Alfred Kuhn, Adelaide Christa Mayer, Arabella Angela Denoke, Zdenka Birgit Fandrey, Mandryka Hans -Joachim Ketelsen, Klaus Florian Vogt Matteo, Elemer Martin Homrich, Dominik Jürgen Hart Fell, Lamoraal Matthias Henneberg, teller Andrea Ihle

Salzburg Festival 1958 - Keilberth Act 1 (MP3 file, 119.66 MB) Act 2 (MP3 file, 95.14 MB) Act 3 (MP3 file, 73.77 MB) Otto Edelmann Waldner, Ira Malaniuk Adelaide, Lisa Della Casa Arabella, Anneliese Rothenberger Zdenka, Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau Mandryka Kurt ruffle Matteo, Helmut Melchert Elemer, Georg star Dominik, Karl Weber Lamoraal, Eta Köhrer Fiakermilli, Kerstin Meyer -teller, Willi Lenninger Welko

Discography

(Selection)

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