Strauss goes batty?

Synopsis

Johann Strauss, Jr. dominated the dance hall scene in Vienna in the first quarter century of his musical career, but the "waltz king" was 45 years old before he tried his hand at writing an operetta. He was urged on by the management of Vienna's premiere light opera venue, the Theater an der Wien, which was anxious to replace the extremely popular French operettas by Jacques Offenbach with some new works by Vienna's own and equally famous purveyor of light music.

Even so, for Strauss's third operetta, the cagey theater managers hedged their bets by acquiring the rights to a French farce entitled "Le Réveillon," which just happened to be written by the librettists for several of Offenbach's biggest hits.

"Le Réveillon" was considered a little too French and a little too racy as it stood, so some substantial changes were made before Strauss set to work. The end result, re-titled "Die Fledermaus" (or "The Bat",) opened in Vienna on today's date in 1874.

Now, there is an oft-repeated myth that "Fledermaus" was initially a flop and that it closed after only sixteen performances. But blame that on the famous American soprano, Adelina Patti, who had booked the Theater an der Wien for a run of Italian opera performances shortly after "Fledermaus" was scheduled to open. When Patti and her troupe left Vienna, "Fledermaus" returned for more performances, and has rarely been absent from Viennese stages from that day to this.

Music Played in Today's Program

Johann Strauss II (1825 – 1899) Die Fledermaus Overture Vienna Symphony; Robert Stolz, cond. BMG 72916

On This Day

Births

• 1784 - German composer, violinist and conductor Ludwig Spohr, in Brunswick;

• 1869 - French composer Albert Roussel, in Tourcoing;

• 1917 - American composer Richard Yardumian, in Philadelphia;

Deaths

• 1946 - American composer Vincent Youmans, age 47, in Denver;

Premieres

• 1803 - Beethoven: oratorio "Christus am Ölberg" (Christ on the Mount of Olives), Piano Concerto No. 3 and Symphony No. 2 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, with composer conducting and as piano soloist;

• 1874 - Jh. Strauss, Jr.: operetta "Die Fledermaus" (The Bat), in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien;

• 1902 - Ravel: "Jeux d'eau" (Fountains) for piano, in Paris, by Ravel's friend Ricardo Viñes;

• 1914 - First concert performance of Stravinsky's ballet score, "The Rite of Spring," in Paris, conducted by Pierre Monteux (who also conducted the world premiere of the staged version of the ballet with Diaghilev's Ballet Russe on May 29, 1913);

• 1939 - Gretchaninoff: Symphony No. 5, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conducting;

• 1944 - Cage: "The Perilous Night," for prepared piano, in New York;

• 1946 - Barber: Cello Concerto, by the Boston Symphony with Serge Koussevitzky conducting and Raya Garbousova the soloist;

• 1946 - Ives: Symphony No. 3, at the smaller concert room at Carnegie Hall by the Little Orchestra, conducted by Lou Harrison; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music that year;

• 1951 - Hindemith: Symphony in Bb for concert band, in Washington, DC, with the composer conducting;

• 1958 - R. Strauss: "Duet-Concertino" for clarinet, bassoon and strings, by the Swiss Italian Radio;

• 1980 - Christopher Rouse: "Mitternachtslieder" (Midnight Songs), for bass-baritone solo and ensemble, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by the Contemporary Directions Ensemble conducted by Stephen Osmond, with vocal soloist Leslie Guinn.

Others

• 1877 - First documented American performance of Handel's "Largo"(from the opera "Xerxes”) as a concert piece (in the arrangement by Joseph Hellmesberger for solo violin and ensemble), at New York's Steinway Hall, by the Theodore Thomas Orchestra, with Simon E. Jacobsohn the violin soloists.