Walzer aus Wien ("Waltzes from Vienna," titled The Great Waltz in English) is a singspiel pasticcio in three acts, libretto by Alfred Maria Willner, and Ernst Marischka, music by Johann Strauss II (son), arranged by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Julius Bittner, first performed at the Stadttheater in Vienna on 30 October 1930.[1]
The libretto was translated into French by André Mouëzy-Éon and Jean Marietti, and first performed, under the title Valses de Vienne at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris on 21 December 1933.
An English musical theatre adaptation called Walzes from Vienna (with additional music arranged by Herbert Griffiths), played in London in 1931. As The Great Waltz it also played on Broadway in 1934, and there was another English version produced in London in 1970.[2]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 30 October 1930 (Conductor:) |
|---|---|---|
| Resi | soprano | Paula Brosig |
| Johann Strauss Jr | baritone | Hubert Marischka |
| Countess Olga | soprano | |
| Johann Strauss Sr | spoken | |
| Frau Kratochwill | soprano | Mizzi Zwerenz |
| Prince Gogol | tenor | Ludwig Herold |
| Leopold | tenor | Karl Göttler |
| Ebeseder | tenor | Fritz Imhoff |
The action takes place in Vienna around 1845, and relates the rivalry between the Strausses, father and son, and the love of the young Rési for Strauss Jr., but with the help of a Russian Countess, father and son are reconciled and love triumphs.