Die Fledermaus (The Bat)
Die Fledermaus (The Bat)
Johann Strauss II’s operetta Die Fledermaus is without doubt one of the most delightful fusions of theatrical charm, wit, and sparkling musical invention. In this sumptuous Viennese musical comedy, amorous intrigues, masquerade, personal ambition, and social irony intertwine in a work whose apparent lightness reveals the deeper duplicities of bourgeois society. At the centre of the story is the pleasure-seeking Gabriel von Eisenstein, who, having been sentenced to prison for a public insult, first takes a long and winding detour to Prince Orlofsky’s lavish soirée, where, beneath the alluring shelter of masks and exhilarating false identities, a new firework display of misunderstandings, seductive games, and witty revelations is set ablaze.
With Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss II, the celebrated “Waltz King,” created an operetta that is far more than a mere sequence of popular dance numbers: its musical force lies in the refined balance between infectious melodic invention, the rhythmic vitality of waltzes and quadrilles, and precisely measured theatrical dramaturgy. It is precisely for this reason that, ever since its premiere in 1874, Die Fledermaus has remained one of the most beloved operettas of the international repertoire. It also occupies a special place in the history of the Maribor Opera, where in various productions it has repeatedly delighted audiences, not least through Oton Župančič’s masterful Slovene verse adaptation. In the new staging, created by the internationally acclaimed Italian director Pier Francesco Maestrini and conductor Ivan Hut, Strauss’s operetta will once again reveal itself in all its splendour and, above all, in its undiminished theatrical vitality.
The performance will be given in Slovenian with English and German surtitles.
Ondina Otta Klasinc Haal
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