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44-623: While an operetta, The Gypsy Baron was a departure from Strauss's earlier more comic and light hearted works; displaying more serious tones both musically and dramatically in what musicologist Andrew Lamb described as "a step in Strauss’s quest for the composition of a genuine opera". During the composer's lifetime, the operetta enjoyed great success internationally. It is considered one of Strauss's three best stage works, along with Die Fledermaus (1874) and Eine Nacht in Venedig (1883). Strauss

88-959: A book commemorating the Loder family, edited by Nicholas Temperley, to which Lamb contributed a biographical chapter. Lamb's books and biographies, relating mostly to musical theatre, include the following: He has written extensively for periodicals including Gramophone , The Musical Times , Opera , Music and Letters , The Listener , and Wisden Cricket Monthly . He is a contributor and advisory editor to The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and wrote more than 150 articles in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , including biographies of George M. Cohan , Noël Coward , Jerome Kern , Charles Lecocq , Franz Lehár , Andrew Lloyd Webber , Lionel Monckton and Jacques Offenbach , and articles on revue , musical comedy, music hall , parlour song and operetta . He

132-736: A member of the Advisory Board of The New Grove Dictionary of Opera , and from 1987 to 1996 he assisted Antonio de Almeida on the latter's ultimately unpublished Offenbach thematic catalogue. In 1995 he performed in Dan Crawford's production of Noël Coward 's Cavalcade , appearing as the Stage Manager at the Churchill Theatre , Bromley, and the Major Domo at Sadler's Wells Theatre , London. In 2008 he wrote

176-483: A nearby rock. As they depart the Gypsies arise to start their day's work. Zsupán appears and tells them that his cart has stuck in the mud. He orders the Gypsies to come and help him. They resent his order and steal his watch and money. His cries for help bring Carnero, Mirabella, Ottokár and Arsena on the scene, followed by Barinkay, now dressed as a gypsy baron, and Saffi. Barinkay introduces Saffi as his wife but Carnero

220-443: A production staged by Herbert Graf and starring Margit Bokor as Saffi; and second, in 1995 with tenor Stanford Olsen in the title role at Avery Fisher Hall under the baton of Kurt Masur . The New York City Opera (NYCO) mounted the work during the company's first season in 1944 with William Wymetal staging the opera using an English language translation by conductor George Mead. The original NYCO cast included William Horne in

264-468: A reprisal of the role of Kálmán Zsupán from the original production. This staging of the operetta had an impact on Franz Lehár , and heavily influenced the development of his 1905 operetta The Merry Widow . The operetta was first staged by the Vienna State Opera on December 26, 1910 with conductor Felix Weingartner leading the musical forces. That house staged an elaborate production of

308-484: A self-important mayor, a rascally commissioner, a military governor, a band of gypsies and a troop of hussars . A swampy riverside region near the town of Timișoara The distant scene is dominated by a derelict castle. In the foreground is a partly deserted village with only one reasonably prosperous-looking house. In a particularly disreputable hut there lives an old gypsy woman named Czipra. The boatmen can be heard singing at their work. Ottokár, son of Mirabella who

352-534: A series of successful operettas and other musical theatre pieces in the 1880s and 1890s, including the extraordinarily successful Erminie . In 1891, it premiered Cavalleria Rusticana in America, and in 1894 it presented the first Broadway revue , The Passing Show . In 1898, it was host to the premiere of Clorindy, or The Origin of the Cake Walk , the first African-American musical to be presented before

396-580: A white audience. The theatre is perhaps best remembered, however, as having been the home of the 1900 production of the Edwardian musical comedy , Florodora . In that show, it became the first theatre in New York to feature a chorus line, the "Florodora Sextet". The sextet's original lineup included a number of ladies who would later achieve fame and fortune. The production "elevated the chorus girl into ... an attraction in its own right." Evelyn Nesbit

440-495: A witness. They send for Zsupán. In the meantime he tells Barinkay of the beautiful Arsena. To pass time Czipra tells their fortunes and reveals to Sándor Barinkay that there is happiness and fortune in store for him. He will marry a faithful wife who will, in a dream, discover where the treasure is hidden. Carnero is also told that he will recover a treasure that he has lost, which leaves him slightly puzzled as he cannot remember having had one. Zsupán arrives and tells everyone that he

484-404: Is governess to Arsena (daughter of a miserly old farmer Zsupán) is digging for treasure which he fondly believes to be buried somewhere around. This is his daily routine, and the more he looks without success, the worse his temper becomes. Czipra looks out of her window and makes fun of his efforts. She has been watching him for weeks and has a low opinion of his wasting time on this activity while

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528-412: Is a highly successful pig-breeder adding that he lives for sausages and wine and has little time for art. He agrees to witness Barinkay's claims but warns him that he can be a contentious neighbour. Barinkay suggests that he might marry Zsupán's daughter and Arsena is sent for. But it is Mirabella, the governess, who first appears. It seems that she is Carnero's long-lost wife, so part of Czipra's prediction

572-427: Is descended from the aristocracy and can only marry someone of noble birth. Zsupán and the others tell Barinkay that he must do something about this. He is left brooding but hears a gypsy girl singing a song which praises the loyalty of the Gypsies to their friends. It is Saffi, daughter of Czipra, and Barinkay is immediately attracted by her dark beauty and accepts an invitation to dine with her and Czipra. Unaware of

616-454: Is immediately realised. Carnero shows little sign of delight and a rather joyless reunion takes place. Mirabella says that she had believed her husband to have been killed at the Battle of Belgrade . Arsena arrives, heavily veiled, but though the chorus hail the bride-elect she is not so co-operative. She is in love with Ottokár. Barinkay makes a formal proposal but Arsena tells him that she

660-474: Is not all that impressed. Saffi welcomes Barinkay back to his inheritance. Ever the opportunist, Barinkay now says that he would like to marry Saffi who is as delighted as her gypsy friends. Zsupán and Arsena are now rather indignant at this turn of events and threaten reprisals. The castle at dawn the following day Czipra reveals to Barinkay that Saffi has dreamed of the location of the treasure. They start to search and find it hidden, as she has dreamed, under

704-712: Is not really her daughter but the child of the last Pasha of Hungary, a real princess. Barinkay is once more deflated, realising that he cannot marry anyone of such exalted rank, though Saffi says that she will always love him. Barinkay decides that he too will join the Hussars and the men march away leaving behind three broken hearted ladies. Vienna Everyone is celebrating after a victorious battle. Zsupán appears and tells of his own, somewhat inglorious, exploits in Spain. Homonay, Barinkay and Ottokár reveal that they are heroes of battle and have been made into genuine noblemen. There

748-419: Is not satisfied that all the legal requirements have been met. They tell him the stars have guided them and the birds have witnessed their vows. This is not quite what the law demands and Mirabella and Zsupán adopt a highly moral tone about the whole affair. At this point Ottokár discovers a few of the gold coins that Barinkay has left behind and is highly excited. Barinkay soon disillusions him by telling him that

792-477: Is now no objection to the marriage of Saffi and Barinkay or Ottokár and Arsena. It is a truly happy ending. Andrew Lamb (writer) Andrew Martin Lamb (born 23 September 1942) is an English writer, music historian, lecturer and broadcaster, known for his expertise in light music and musical theatre. In addition to his musical work, Lamb maintained a full-time career as an actuary and investment manager. Lamb

836-693: The McCaull Comic Opera Company . It was first managed by producer and composer Rudolph Aronson , and later by Canary & Lederer from 1894 to 1903, and from 1903 by the Shuberts . As the center of the Broadway theatre district moved uptown, north of 42nd Street, the Casino closed in 1930. It was demolished the same year, along with the nearby Knickerbocker Theatre , to make way for the expanding Garment District . The Casino hosted

880-539: The Princess Theatre musicals, among other musicals, such as The Blue Paradise (1915) and Sometime (1918). In the 1920s, the theatre was the home of several hit operettas, particularly The Vagabond King and The Desert Song . Although the Casino had led the move uptown by the Broadway theatre district, by 1930, most of the theatres had moved even further north, to the West 40s. The last performance

924-788: The UK, having qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in 1972. He married in 1970 and has two daughters and a son. He has been a member of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1954. In 1980, Lamb was a member of the Arts Council of Great Britain Light Opera Enquiry, and in 1988 he was a member of the jury of the Offenbach International Singing Competition in Paris. He was

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968-555: The latter's previous stage works. The Gypsy Baron premiered at the Theater an der Wien on 24 October 1885, and quickly became an international success; enjoying popularity during the remainder of Strauss's life. The composer continued to alter and cut material from the original score of the operetta following its premiere. A 1990 production staged by the Zürich Opera with music director Nikolaus Harnoncourt restored music from

1012-660: The lighter forms of music theatre" and notes the lucidity of his extensive writings on a wide range of musical topics, including zarzuela , operetta , American and British musical theatre, Arthur Sullivan , the Strauss family, Jacques Offenbach , Jerome Kern and the Waldteufels. In 2012, Lamb instituted a project to honour the composer Edward James Loder that resulted in musical events in Bath in 2015, CD recordings of Loder's piano music and his opera Raymond and Agnes , and

1056-560: The opera again in 1959 with Nicolai Gedda as Sándor Barinkay, Lisa Della Casa as Saffi, Regina Resnik as Czipra, Walter Slezak as Kálmán Zsupán, Laurel Hurley as Arsena, Paul Franke as Ottokar, Mignon Dunn as Mirabella, and Erich Leinsdorf conducting. Other notable performances in New York City included two presentations of the opera by the New York Philharmonic ; first at Lewisohn Stadium in 1942 in

1100-485: The operetta was interrupted in autumn 1883 due to nicotine poisoning and fainting fits and he was to recuperate in Franzensbad . Strauss' work on act 3 of the work was also interrupted when his wife Adele was taken ill and the couple left for Ostend . Not until autumn 1885 was the work finally completed, with Schnitzer making various revisions of the libretto to suit Strauss' style of composing which were not present in

1144-553: The original score under the guidance of Strauss specialist Norbert Linke . This music had not been heard since the original 1885 performances, and Teldec released a recording of this version with Harnoncourt conducting in 1995. The opera has been regularly performed in the opera houses of Austria and Hungary since its premiere. The Hungarian premiere took place at the People's Theatre (Népszínház)  [ hu ] in Budapest in

1188-411: The other Gypsies are out doing an "honest" day's work. She tells him that if he continues with this fruitless quest, he will end up penniless and never marry, as he hopes, Arsena. Sándor Barinkay, son of the late owner of the castle, arrives accompanied by Conte Carnero, Commissioner for Oaths, who is here to sort things out for him. The Commissioner suggests they get on with the job and call on Czipra as

1232-409: The others watching, Ottokár meets Arsena and they vow their eternal love for each other. He gives her a locket at which point Barinkay pretends to be most indignant. The Gypsies return from their work and Czipra introduces Barinkay as their new local squire . They elect him chief of the Gypsies. Now affirmed as a gypsy baron he calls on Zsupán and asserts his noble right of the hand of Arsena. Zsupán

1276-1005: The programme article for the production of Amadeo Vives 's La Generala at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, and in 2009 he was a speaker at the Ruperto Chapí Centenary Congress in Valencia , Spain. He has also given talks for English National Opera at the Coliseum Theatre , London, and at the Buxton Festival . He is a member of the Honorary Board of the Centro Studi Eric Sams . Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians describes Lamb as "a noted authority on

1320-430: The sparkling Schatz-Walzer (Treasure Waltz ), Op. 418, as well as the polkas "Brautschau" ("Looking for a Wife"), Op. 417, and "Kriegsabenteuer" ("War Adventures"), Op. 419. Overview: The story, of the marriage of a landowner (returned from exile) and a gypsy girl who is revealed as the daughter of a Turkish pasha , and the rightful owner of a hidden treasure, involves a fortune-telling Romany queen,

1364-538: The spring of 1886 with the composer conducting. In September 1901 the Theater an der Wien mounted a critically lauded revival of the operetta spearheaded by the theater's then director Wilhelm Karczag at a time when Austrian operetta had been largely supplanted in Vienna by operetta works from England. The production cemented The Gypsy Baron' s place in the operatic canon and featured the popular actor Alexander Girardi in

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1408-512: The theatre was enlarged in 1894 and again in 1905, after a fire, when its capacity was enlarged to 1,300 seats. It hosted a number of long-running comic operas, operettas and musical comedies, including Erminie , Florodora , The Vagabond King and The Desert Song . It closed in 1930 and was demolished the same year. The Casino Theatre, designed in Moorish Revival style by architects Francis Hatch Kimball and Thomas Wisedell,

1452-642: The title role and Marguerite Piazza and Polyna Stoska alternating as Saffi under the baton of Laszlo Halasz . The company repeated the production the following year with Gordon Dilworth as Barinkay and Brenda Lewis as Saffi. In 1939 the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera staged the work using an English language translation by composer and lyricist Ann Ronell . This translation was published by G. Schirmer, Inc. in 1940, and has been widely used in English language recordings and stagings of

1496-486: The title role and soprano Pauline Hall as Saffi. It was first staged by the Metropolitan Opera exactly 20 years later on 15 February 1906 with Andreas Dippel in the title role, Bella Alten as Saffi, Louise Homer as Czipra, Otto Goritz as Kálmán Zsupá, Marie Rappold as Arsena, and Nahan Franko conducting. Both the original Broadway and Met stagings were produced by Heinrich Conried . The Met staged

1540-483: The treasure has already been found. At this moment, a recruiting party arrives under the command of Barinkay's old friend, Count Peter Homonay. He is looking for recruits to fight in the war against Spain . Zsupán and Ottokár are press-ganged into the army. Carnero calls on Homonay to give his official support to the view that Barinkay and Saffi's marriage is illegal but Homonay supports Barinkay. Further complications, however, are revealed. Czipra tells them that Saffi

1584-781: The work in 1976. The operetta is part of the regular repertory of the Vienna Volksoper . In 1999 the opera was staged at multiple opera houses in Vienna in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the composer's death; including the Vienna State Opera, the Vienna Volksoper, the Wiener Kammeroper , and the Theater an der Wien . The US premiere took place on 15 February 1886 at the Casino Theatre on Broadway with tenor William Castle in

1628-636: The work. In the UK The Gypsy Baron was first performed on 12 February 1935 in an amateur production. The UK professional premiere took place on 10 March 1938 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, as part of the Carl Rosa Opera Company 's spring season there. Strauss's music for The Gypsy Baron is still regularly performed today. The orchestral pieces that he furnished from the work were also well-recognised, among them,

1672-479: Was a Broadway theatre located at 1404 Broadway and West 39th Street in New York City . Built in 1882, it was a leading presenter of mostly musicals and operettas until it closed in 1930. The theatre was the first in New York to be lit entirely by electricity, popularized the chorus line and later introduced white audiences to African-American shows. It originally seated approximately 875 people, however

1716-471: Was a chorus girl in the show in 1901. Over the decades, the theatre also became known for its free Christmas presentations for New York children. Over the next decade, the theatre continued to present musicals and operettas, some of the most successful being A Chinese Honeymoon (1902), The Earl and the Girl (1905) and The Chocolate Soldier (1909). During World War I, it hosted transfers of several of

1760-587: Was a member of the Advisory Board of The New Grove Dictionary of Opera . Online examples of his writing include articles on Gershwin 's Cuban vacation, two 1890s English comic opera tours of South America, and the zarzuelas La generala and El maestro Campanone . He has also compiled albums of songs by Lehár for Glocken Verlag (ISMN M-57006-019-1, ISMN M-57006-109-9, ISMN M-57006-111-2 and ISMN 979-0-57006-115-0) and of operetta numbers by Offenbach for Choudens ( ISBN   978-1-84938-035-5 ). Casino Theatre (New York City) The Casino Theatre

1804-529: Was born in Oldham , Lancashire, the son of Harry Lamb, a schoolmaster, and his wife Winifred, née Emmott. He was educated at Werneth Council School, Oldham, Manchester Grammar School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford . He graduated in mathematics in 1963, gaining a master's degree in 1967 and a Doctorate of Letters in 2006. In addition to his musical work, he maintained a full-time career as an actuary and investment manager with major financial institutions in

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1848-575: Was introduced to Jókai's story prior to its publication as a novel in Pest, Hungary in February 1883 by his third wife Adele Deutsch. He dialogued with Jókai about adapting the story into an operetta soon after. Jókai recommended the Hungarian-Austrian writer Ignaz Schnitzer to Strauss as a librettist, and the two men created the work over a two-year period from 1883 through 1885. Its genesis

1892-530: Was rather swift and smooth, as Strauss was no stranger to the Hungarian influences apparent in the music score. Many of his earlier works also bore similar themes, such as the polka Éljen a Magyar! ("Long live the Hungarians!"), Op.  332. Originally, Strauss and Schnitzer intended the operetta as an opera but further revisions were made and the idea of a comic opera was conceived. Strauss' work on

1936-470: Was the first theatre in New York to be lit entirely by electricity. It was built in 1882 more than 15 blocks north of where the theatre district was then centered, 23rd Street. In 1890, New York's first roof garden was added to the theatre. It originally seated approximately 875 people, however the theatre was enlarged in 1894 and again when it was rebuilt in 1905 after a fire in 1903. The redesigned Casino seated 1,300. The theatre opened with productions by

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