Die Fledermaus

Die Fledermaus ("The bat") is a famous comic operetta in 3 acts composed by Johann Strauss II (1825–1899)[1], to a German libretto by Karl Haffner (1804-1876)[2] and Richard Genée (1823–1895) [3]

The original text

The original source for Die Fledermaus is Das Gefängnis ("The Prison"), a farce by German playwright Roderich Benedix (1811-1873)[4], that had premiered in 1851.

The Strauss operetta had its premier on 5 April 1874 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna and has been part of the regular international operetta repertoire ever since.

For more on the origins, versions and history of the operetta, see for example the Wikipedia entry on it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Fledermaus

Translations and adaptations

Most often performed in the original German, it was first sung in English at London's Alhambra Theatre on 18 December 1876.

Translated into Afrikaans by Bosman de Kock.

Also translated into Afrikaans by Fred Steyn.

Performance history in South Africa

1958: Presented in Afrikaans by the South African Opera Federation.

1962: Presented by the EOAN Group.

1964: Presented by PACOFS Opera.

1966: Presented in Afrikaans by PACT Opera at the Aula, Pretoria and at the Civic Theatre, Johannesburg, starring Nellie du Toit as Rosalinde, Gert Potgieter as Alfred, Lloyd Strauss-Smith as Eisenstein, Margaretha Deysel as Adele and the mezzo-soprano Cato Brink, wife of the producer, as Prince Orlofsky, produced by Peter Brenner, conducted by Leo Quayle.

1968: Presented in Afrikaans by PACT Opera, starring Nellie du Toit as Rosalinde, Gert Potgieter as Alfred, Ralie Meyer as Adele, Jules Borowsky as Eisenstein and Louis van der Walt as Prince Orlofsky. Produced by Xander Haagen, PACT Orchestra conducted by Neil Chapman. Also taken on tour to the rural areas of the Transvaal (between 1 and 9 March 1968) with eight performances in the following towns: Germiston, Brakpan, Tzaneen, Louis Trichard, Pietersburg and Nylstroom.

1969: Presented by CAPAB Opera.

1971: Presented by NAPAC Opera.

1972: Presented by CAPAB Opera.

1974: Presented in Afrikaans by CAPAB Opera in the Nico Malan Opera House, with Nellie du Toit as Rosalinde, Gé Korsten as Alfred, Suzanne Davies as Adele and Lawrence Folley sang the role of Eisenstein. Hans van Heerden and Philip de Vos sang the roles of Falke and Blind. Fred Dalberg and Evelyn Dalberg portrayed the roles of Frosch and Prince Orlofsky. Produced by Angelo Gobbato, CAPAB Orchestra conducted by David Tidboald.

1974: Presented by NAPAC Opera.

1975: Presented by PACT Opera, designed and directed by Neels Hansen, with Barbara Veenemans, Ge Korsten (Eisenstein).

1975: Presented in Afrikaans by CAPAB Opera, with Nellie du Toit as Rosalinde, produced by Angelo Gobbato, conducted by David Tidboald.

1977: Presented by CAPAB Opera.

1978: Presented by CAPAB Opera.

1978: Presented by PACT Opera in Afrikaans in the Steyn translation in the Aula, Pretoria and in the Johannesburg Civic Theatre, with Nellie du Toit as Rosalinde, Gé Korsten as Eisenstein, Stephen Tudor as Alfred, Barbara Veenemans as Adele, Dawie Couzyn as Falke, George Kok as Orlowsky and the actor Tobie Cronjé as the jailer. Produced by Neels Hansen, PACT Symphony Orchestra conducted by Terence Kern.

1981: Staged in English by the Port Elizabeth Gilbert & Sullivan Society in 1981, starring Sidwill Hartman.

1986: Presented by CAPAB Opera (12 December 1986 – 17 January 1987), with Aviva Pelham (the locale of the opera was changed from Vienna in Austria to Camps Bay in Cape Town, and incorporated English and Afrikaans in the libretto).

1993: Presented by CAPAB Opera (1 December 1993 – 8 January 1994)

2004: Presented by Cape Town Opera (4 December 2004 – 8 January 2005)

Sources

Wayne Muller. 2018. A reception history of opera in Cape Town: Tracing the development of a distinctly South African operatic aesthetic (1985–2015). Unpublished PhD thesis.

Alexandra Xenia Sabina Mossolow. 2003. The career of South African soprano Nellie du Toit, born 1929. Unpublished Masters thesis. University of Stellenbosch.

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