Event overview
020 7919 7645
As part of the Department of Music's PureGold season, OperaGold presents Johann Strauss II's 'Die Fledermaus', conducted by David Syrus, directed by Nan Christie.
One of the best loved of the Viennese operettas, Johann Strauss II’s accessible 'Die Fledermaus', is conducted by David Syrus and directed by Nan Christie in this staged production.
Opera Synopsis:
Eisenstein is due to report to prison, having defaulted on his taxes. He is induced, however, to attend a fancy-dress party at Prince Orlofsky's, by his friend Dr Falke, who plans revenge for having been abandoned on a previous occasion to go home in his costume of a bat. Eisenstein's wife takes the opportunity of his absence for an assignation in her house with Alfred, who is mistaken by Frank, the prison governor, for her husband and taken to prison. Adele has sought various excuses for taking time off and in a borrowed dress attends Prince Orlofsky's party, where Rosalinde also appears, disguised as a Hungarian countess. In a play of disguises and partly mistaken identities Eisenstein flirts with his own wife and toasts, under the guise of the Marquis Renard, the prison governor Frank, introduced as the Chevalier Chagrin. They leave together, Eisenstein now intending to report to the prison. There the gaoler Frosch has drunken objections to the singing of Alfred. Adele and her sister, who have dramatic ambitions, seek Frank's help in furthering their stage careers, while Eisenstein, who now arrives, cannot persuade Frank at first of his identity and when he learns that the supposed Eisenstein is already in prison is suspicious of Rosalinde. Disguised as his lawyer Dr Blind, he cross-examines Rosalinde and Alfred, but she retaliates, when he reveals his identity, by producing Eisenstein's watch, which the supposed Hungarian countess had received from him at Prince Orlofsky's. Falke admits his part in the plot, Rosalinde and Alfred claim their assignation as a part of it, and all ends in apparent satisfaction.
The operetta starts with a sparkling overture, with tunes from the last act and then the Fledermaus waltz of the second act party. Adele's laughing song, Mein Herr Marquis (My lord marquis) in which she rejects Eisenstein's suggestion and her true identity, and her delightful display of varied acting ability, Spiel'ich die Unschuld (I play the innocent) to Frank are often heard. Rosalinde’s Hungarian Czárdás, Klänge der Heimat (Sounds of my own country) is all too convincing, while the song of friendship, Brüderlein und Schwesterlein (Little brothers and sisters), as the party reaches a climax, is among the most memorable of all numbers in the best of all Viennese operettas.
PureGold forms part of a summer of Goldsmiths Degree Shows across the capital, including exhibitions and shows from the Departments of Art, Theatre and Performance, and Design. Follow us on twitter @goldsmithsmusic #PureGold15 and #GoldsmithsDegreeShows for the latest news and photos.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun 2015 | 7:00pm - 10:00pm | |
| 12 Jun 2015 | 7:00pm - 10:00pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
